Here for your convenience you can find a list of events in our region not organised by MEMF which may be of interest to you. Whilst we have made every effort to be accurate, we suggest that you check details on the websites or phone numbers provided.
If you are aware of an event which is not listed here, please contact the Newsletter Editor
You might like to also visit the brilliant Early Music Website at https://earlymusicdiary.org.uk where you will find nationwide events organized into categories to assist your search.
And the Continuo Foundation’s new digital hub – a comprehensive concert finder of early music events (by region) across the UK – is at https://www.continuoconnect
Diary of Events in the Midlands
# Denotes an online event
Recent additions in Red
MARCH 2025
Sat 01: BMEMF Workshop for singers with David Allinson in Shrewsbury. Details and booking at www.bmemf.org.uk
Fri 07 – Sun 09: Gibbons 400 Festival with the Chelys consort of Viols, celebrating the 400th anniversary of Orlando Gibbons’ death. Several concerts over the weekend in St John’s College Chapel, Oxford. Chelys Consort
Fri 07: Mon Coeur Soupire: Songs and Sonatas by French Baroque Women Composers – RBC musiciansdirected by Martin Perkins.Pioneering women composers of 17th and 18th century France are celebrated in this concert alongside the numerous anonymous composers e.g. Élisabeth Jacquet de La Guerre, Julie Pinel, Françoise-Charlotte de Senneterre Ménétou and ‘Mademoiselle Sicard’.7pm in the organ studio, Royal Birmingham Conservatoire, 200 Jennens Road, B4 7XR
Sat 08: Rethinking Bach – Goldberg Variations – a special performance by Jorge Jimenez. 2pm in the Old Baptist Chapel, Tewkesbury. Info at 01684 297174 or at https://www.johnmooremuseum.org/events/
Sat 08: Handel’s Messiah – Luminatus Ensemble + Musical and Amicable Society. 7.30 in St James the Greater, Leicester. 10% discount for MEMF members MEMF25 https://luminatus.co.uk
Sun 09: Latin American Baroque Ritual 1631 – Singers, harp, guitar, bajón, strings, winds and percussion revel in this colourful music sung in Latin, Spanish, Nahuatl and Quechuan – the languages of the Aztecs and Incas.
Ex Cathedra & Baroque Ensemble. 4-6pm in Birmingham Town Hall. www.excathedra.co.uk
Weds 12: Latin American Baroque Ritual 1631 as above. 7-9pm in Hereford Cathedral. www.excathedra.co.uk
Fri 14: Truly, Madly Baroque – don’t miss the extraordinary Red Priest. 7.30 in the Macready Theatre, Rugby. www.redpriest.com
Tues 18: Decameron Musicale written by Boccaccio, a mosaic of medieval stories featuring music by de Viltry, Dunstable, Binchois and Machaut – Rune (singers, harp vielle, recorders and organ). 8.30 in St Mary’s Church, Warwick. Pre-concert talk at 7.45. www.leamingtonmusic.org
Sat 22: Gloria Patri – Two Songs of Praise, (JS Bach, Telemann, CPE Bach + Italian Nuns music) -Royal Leamington Spa Bach Choir. 7.30 in St Mary’s Church, Warwick. https://rlsbc.org
Sat 22: Vivaldi: Gloria, Handel: Eternal Source of Light Divine and Haydn: Mariazellermesse – Hereford Choral Society with Marches Baroque Orchestra. 7.30 in Hereford Cathedral. www.herefordchoralsociety.org
Fri 28: York Waits perform at an Evening Banquet in Leicester Cathedral. www.leicestercathedral.org/events
Sat 29: York Waits perform at Afternoon Tea in Leicester Cathedral. www.leicestercathedral.org/events
Sat 29: JS Bach: St John Passion – Nottingham Cathedral choir + Musical and Amicable Society.7.45 in Nottingham Cathedral. www.amicables.co.uk
Sat 29: Harrogate Regency Ball, Cedar Court Hotel.
APRIL 2025
Fri 04: Divorced, Beheaded, Died Concert by Palisander Recorder Quartet, includes spoken word, percussion and singing. 7.30 in St Leonard’s Church, Blithfield, Rugeley, WS15 3NL, Details and tickets from Angela Parry on 07766759886 or info@abbotsholmeartssociety.co.uk or on the door.
Sat 05: Bach’s B Minor Mass – Birmingham Bach Choir + Musical and Amicable Society. 7pm in Lichfield Cathedral. https://birmingham.bachchoir.com
Sat 05: An Evening with Purcell: Dido & Aeneas and other pieces – Divertimento and Warwickshire Baroque. 7.30 in St Nicholas Church, Warwick. Tickets £12 rising to £15 after March 7th. Book at 01926 429607 or online at www.divertimento.org.uk
Sat 05: Handel’s Israel in Egypt – Armonico.7pm in St Mary’s Church, Warwick. www.armonico.org.uk
Sun 06: Lux Aeterna – The Gesualdo Six. 8pm in Christ Church Cathedral, Oxford. www.thegesualdosix.co.uk
Sun 06: The Ghost in the Machine – Amyas. Instrumental group performing everything from historically informed C18th music to electronic medieval songs and dances. 3.30 in the Angel Centre, Worcester, WR1 3QN. https://www.earlymusicworcs.org
Sat 12: Bach’s St John Passion – Spires Philharmonic Orchestra and Choir.2.30 in King Henry VIII School, Coventry. https://www.spiresmusic.org
Sun 13: Handel’s Israel in Egypt – Armonico. 3pm in Malvern Theatres, Worcs. www.armonico.org.uk
Sun 13: Lux Aeterna – The Gesualdo Six. 7.30 in Lichfield Cathedral. www.thegesualdosix.co.uk
Weds16: Pergolesi Stabat Mater – The Girl Choristers of St Mary’s with the Beauchamp Quartet. 5.30 in St.Mary’s Churcch, Warwick.
Fri 18: JS Bach’s St Matthew Passion – Ex Cathedra Choir, Baroque Orchestra & Academy of Vocal Music. 2 – 5.30pm in Symphony Hall, Birmingham. www.excathedra.co.uk
MAY
Fri 02 – Mon 05: Stratford Shakespeare in Music Festival includes recitals by Wells Madrigal singers, Motets by Byrd and Tallis, RCM students on original instruments – “music Shakespeare might well have heard” andMark Padmore with Elizabeth Kenny performing Shakespeare Songs and Sonnets. Details atwww.shakespearemusicfestival.org
Sat 10: BMEMF workshop for instrumentalists with Lizzie Gutteridge in Leominster. Details and booking at www.bmemf.org.uk
Sat 10: O Radiant Dawn: Victoria’s Missa Pro Defunctis and choral well-known modern composers sung by Ex Urbe Chamber Choir.7pm in St Nicholas Church, Warwick. https://exurbe.org
Sun 11: O Radiant Dawn: as above – 4pm in Dorridge Methodist Church.
Fri 16: Bach: Christ Lag in Todesbanden & Howard Goodall: Eternal Light – Diatonic Choir with players from the Leamington Chamber Orchestra. 7.30 in St Nicholas Church, Warwick. www.diatonic.co.uk
Sat 31: In Music is such Art – sacred and secular music by Guerrero, Jacquet de Berchem, Jacquet de Mantau, Massaino and Palestrina – sung by Luminatus. 7.30 in St Mary and St Giles, Stony Stratford, MK11 1BD. 10% discount for MEMF members MEMF25 (see” other interesting information” above) https://luminatus.co.uk
JUNE
Sun 15: Students from the Royal Birmingham Conservatoire perform Early Music. 3.30 in the Angel Centre, Worcester. https://www.earlymusicworcs.org
Fri 20: The Sixteen’s Choral Pilgrimage: Hildegard of Bingen, Taverner, Will Todd and other modern composers. 7pm in Derby Cathedral. www.thesixteen.com
Sat 28: Songs of Love and Devotion, sacred and divine love including Palestrina. Guerrero. Jacquet de Mantua, Pilkington, Monteverdi and Passeron. – Luminatus. 7.30 in Church of St Mary and All Saints, Fotheringhay. 10% discount for MEMF members MEMF25 (see “other interesting information” above) https://luminatus.co.uk
Sat 28: Vivaldi: Gloria, Handel: Zadok the Priest, JS Bach: Magnificat – choirs of St Mary’s Collegiate Church, Warwick. 7.30 in the church. www.stmaryswarwick.org.uk
Sun 29: Palestrina at Wolhampcote – Fiori Musicali. 6pm in Wolfhampcote Church, CV23 8AR. www.fiori-musicali.com
JULY
Sun 13: Trumpet in the Garden – Fiori Musicali. Picnic baskets available. 6pm at Coton Manor, Coton, Nr Guilsborough. www.fiori-musicali.com
Tues 15: Beowulf – Armonico. Guaranteed to excite the whole family – the story set to live music. 7pm in Warwick Hall, Kings High School, Warwick. www.armonico.org.uk
Sun 20: Fiddlers Three – music from Charles II private Musick (Purcell and others) – Musical and Amicable Society. 1-2 in Royal Birmingham Conservatoire. www.amicables.co.uk
Tues 29: Handel: Alexander’s Feast – 3 Cathedral Choirs of the 3 choir’s Festival + Musical and Amicable Society. 7.30 in Hereford Cathedral. www.amicables.co.uk
#Online Music and Talks
Continuo Connect is the Continuo Foundation‘s digital initiative, and along with early music concert listings round the country and artist profiles, it has editorial features on early music and musicians. On their website, click on Features for interviews, playlists and insightful essays and sign up for the twice monthly Newsletter
Early Music Sources – a reminder of the wonderful series of illustrated talks by Elam Rotem, the latest being about Early Basso Continuo, to be found on YouTube at https://www.earlymusicsources.com/youtube
Sands Film studio is a Theatre, Cinema and Music Room. They developed live streaming during the Pandemic and have continued with a mixture of live and online concerts, many of them Early Music, films and theatre. All performances are free, but donations are requested. Sign up to their mailing list at https://www.sandsfilms.co.uk/cinema-club.html
The Following have many videos on YouTube:
Stile Antico – https://www.youtube.com/user/stileantico
Armonico Consort https://ondemand.armonico.org.uk
The Gesualdo Six https://www.thegesualdosix.co.uk/videos/
I Fagiolini https://www.youtube.com/c/IFagiolini/videos
Fretwork Viol Consort https://www.fretwork.co.uk/audio-video
The Academy of Ancient Music https://aam.co.uk/watch/
Wigmore Hall has an archive of live streamed concerts at https://wigmore-hall.org.uk/watch-listen/forthcoming-live-streams Occasionally new ones appear on a Monday morning if you’re signed up. Free but donations requested.
City Lit offers an extensive programme of online music history and music appreciation courses with a focus on Western classical music, Folk, Jazz, Rock and Pop, also many singing courses, There are new topics each year, some of them Early Music: https://www.citylit.ac.uk
Choral Chihuahua regular new episodes since the last Newsletter of chats between Robert Hollingworth and Eamonn Dougan and recently Nicholas Mulroy, about an hour long. Find the latest (and previous) episodes at https://play.acast.com/s/choral-chihuahua. Free but donations requested.