St John’s Voices performed a varied programme on Saturday 7th December 2019 in the resplendent College Chapel at St. John’s College in Cambridge. I played first trumpet in the Cambridge Baroque Camerata, led by Jane Gordon (violin) and conducted by Graham Walker, with fellow trumpet players Will Russell (second trumpet) and Gareth Hoddinott (third trumpet) in the section.The performance began with

I played first trumpet with the Harmonious Society of Tickle Fiddle Gentlemen (a group that takes its name from Ned Ward's (1667 - 1731) description of the musicians who played at one of the world's first series of public concerts in London) for a performance of Haydn's Creation in Canterbury Cathedral on Saturday 16th November 2019. The orchestra was directed by David Newsholme and featured the Girls

Vox Luminis performed Bach's B Minor Mass at the Carré Magique in Lannion in Brittany on Sunday 6th October 2019.Myself, Will Russell and Katie Hodges (trumpeters) travelled from the UK entirely by rail, changing trains in Paris and Plouaret Trégor. The orchestra and choir of Vox Luminis arrived in Lannion to begin rehearsals on Friday 4th October. This would be our first time playing the B Minor

The Georges Enescu Festival welcomed Les Talens Lyriques to perform Handel’s Giulio Cesare [HWV 17] on the 20th September 2019 and Handel’s Agrippina [HWV 6] on the 21st September 2019. These consecutive late night performances took place at the Romanian Athenaeum in the Romanian capital city of Bucharest.This project began with rehearsals in Paris at one of Les Talens Lyriques’ usual Montmartre

I performed with Vox Luminis in the 11th century Romanesque Basilica of St Magdalene in Vézelay, a UNESCO world heritage site, around 230km southeast of Paris in the French region of Bourgogne-Franche-Comté. The choir and orchestra of Vox Luminis gave a concert at 21:00 on Thursday 22nd August 2019 as part of La Cité de la Voix Festival in Vézelay.The group performed three works by George Frideric

After I played in the BBC Proms for the first time in September 2016 I wrote about the inspiring influence of being allowed to stay up late as a child to watch the Last Night of the Proms - broadcast live from the Royal Albert Hall. Later in life, as a postgraduate student at the Royal College of Music, the area around the Royal Albert Hall became very familiar. On occasion, I would have morning rehearsals

Solomon’s Knot’s Purcell Pageant programme - which we first aired in the Ryedale Festival just one week ago - was in fact devised to celebrate the golden wedding anniversary of two of Solomon’s Knot’s loyalest supporters. The couple invited Solomon’s Knot to the Cambridge Buddhist Centre on Friday 2nd August 2019 to perform a musical pageant in celebration of their wedding anniversary

Solomon’s Knot gave three performances during a residency at the Ryedale Festival in Yorkshire. The festival has been described by the Guardian newspaper as ‘the jewel in Yorkshire’s cultural crown’ and browsing though their brochure, it was evident that this is an exceptional festival.The first concert of Solomon’s Knot’s residency took place at Ampleforth Abbey and it featured Bach cantatas

I arrived in Paris during a heatwave, the day after France's warmest temperature of 45.9°C was recorded in Gallargues-le-Montueux on 28th June 2019.Our Eurostar had been slightly delayed, but we managed to make it to Colline d'Asie before it closed to enjoy nem and pho in an authentically humid climate! After dinner I had arranged for Will and I to meet a friend who had been with us on the tour of

Following on from our project in January in Salzburg’s Mozartwoche, Les Talens Lyriques revisited Mozart's Betulia Liberata [K.118/74c], under the direction of Christophe Rousset, for a performance in Paris on Saturday 22nd June 2019.The performance took place at La Seine Musicale, an impressive new venue - completed in 2017 - which is situated on an island on the River Seine between Boulogne-Billancourt

‘Snape Maltings, Snape Maltings, Thank Benjamin Britten for Snape Maltings’ was the specially-written encore of Vox Luminis’ King Arthur performance at Snape Maltings in 2017. That memorable performance, exactly two years ago, was my first appearance with the group and there have been many exceptional projects in the interim, including performances at Versailles, the Utrecht Early Music Festival,

Handel’s Agrippina [HWV 6] was the focus for Christophe Rousset’s Les Talens Lyriques at the beginning of June 2019, with performances in the Klangvocal Festival in Dortmund on Saturday 8th June 2019 and in the Halle Händel Festspiele on Monday 10th June 2019. Rehearsals began in Paris and the group worked to familiarise itself with this long (circa 4-hour) and intricate opera. The ensemble rehearsed

Following the OAEducation's workshops and performances in Plymouth last week, the group gave two consecutive performances in two different Boroughs of London (Merton and Wandsworth) on Thursday 9th of May 2019.The story included many young performers from Cricket Green School in Merton (next to the picturesque 18th-century Mitcham Sunday and National School, as pictured above) and Greenmead Primary

This week continued with more Mozart, this time at St. John’s Smith Square on Wednesday 3rd April 2019. Will Russell (2nd trumpet) and I (1st trumpet) played natural trumpets with Musica Poetica and the English Baroque Choir under the direction of former King’s Singer, Jeremy Jackman.The programme consisted of Biber’s Requiem in F Minor [IHB 17] and Mozart’s Mass in C Minor [K. 427], both performed

Snape Maltings was the venue for Aldeburgh Music Club’s performance of a programme entitled ‘The Amazing Mr. Handel’ on Saturday 16th March 2019. The performance featured the Coronation Anthems [HWV 258], Water Music Suite in G [HWV 350], Concerto Grosso Op.6 No.9 [HWV 327], Chandos Anthem No.7 'My song shall be alway' [HWV 252] and the Chandos Anthem No.4 'O worship the Lord in the beauty of

Les Talens Lyriques performed Mozart’s azione sacra (literally ‘sacred action’) Betulia Liberata [K.118/74c] under the direction of Christophe Rousset in Salzburg’s Mozartwoche 2019. The concert took place in Salzburg’s Haus für Mozart on Sunday 27th January 2019, exactly 263 years after Mozart's birthday on the 27th January 1756. La Betulia Liberata is based on the biblical character of

Spiritato’s Sound the Trumpet programme made an excellent impression with the audience at Holy Trinity Church in Claygate in Surrey on Saturday 12th January 2019. This early evening concert was promoted by the Oxshott & Cobham Music Society and included works by Purcell, Corbett, Rebel, Fantini, Legrenzi, Albrici, Matteis and Franceschini.Almost time to Sound the Trumpet with @Spiritato #soundthetrumpet

Northampton Cathedral was the venue for my only complete Messiah performance this December. I played with the choir and orchestra of Fiori Musicali with their Director Penelope Rapson. Some years ago Handel’s Messiah seemed to be, almost exclusively, the only piece that I was asked to perform at this time of year. At the moment it seems to be slightly less common for me to have a solely Messiah-filled

Spain is a country I have visited only twice before. The more recent trip was to Úbeda with the Academy of Ancient Music in 2013. I performed as a soloist playing Handel’s Diana cacciatrice [HWV 79] with the soprano soloist Lucy Crowe. Before that I visited Spain for the first time with Le Concert Lorrain. We finished an extensive European tour in Burgos on the 21st of December 2010 with a performance

Music by three successive Leipzig Thomaskantors (incidentally, all with the first name Johann) was the focus of Solomon’s Knot’s performances in Advent 2018. Rehearsals for the programme entitled ‘Christmas in Leipzig’ began on 26th November 2018 at Holy Trinity Church on Prince Consort Road in London. The first public performance took place at St. Mary’s Church in the Lace Market, Nottingham

When I first visited the Palace of Versailles on a school history trip in March 2005 I would never have imagined that I would, one day, have the opportunity to play there as a professional trumpet player.Since then I have performed and recorded in the Opéra Royal de Versailles with Les Talens Lyriques (often playing operas that were originally performed there, such as Lully’s Alceste and Salieri’s

After enjoyable projects over the summer with Vox Luminis in Uzès and at the Utrecht Early Music Festival, it was great to rejoin our friends and colleagues for two more festival appearances on consecutive evenings. The ensemble performed Handel’s Dixit Dominus [HWV 23] and Bach’s Magnificat [BWV 243] in the Ambronay Festival (Festival D’Ambronay) on Friday 21st September 2018 and in the

I have visited Utrecht in the Netherlands before but this was the first time I had been involved in the Utrecht Early Music Festival: Festival Oude Muziek Utrecht - the largest early music festival in the world. The opening of the festival took place on Friday 24th August 2018 with four simultaneous concerts across Utrecht’s city centre.The overall title of the opening night was Het Bourgondische

Russell Gilmour (1st trumpet), William Russell (2nd trumpet), Gareth Hoddinott (3rd trumpet) and Keith Price (timpani) performed Bach’s B Minor Mass on Wednesday 22nd August 2018 in Southwell Minster in Nottinghamshire as part of the Southwell Music Festival. The Southwell Festival Baroque Sinfonia was led from the baroque violin by one of the Artistic Directors Jamie Campbell. The other Artistic

Before travelling to Uzès for two performances with Vox Luminis, the trumpet section (Russell Gilmour, William Russell and Gareth Hoddinott) rendezvoused at Gareth & Cecile’s holiday home in the Alps at Montgilbert in the Maurienne valley in the Savoie region. Meeting up a few days beforehand allowed us to travel via more convenient airports on both sides (avoiding Ryanair) and it enabled us

The church of St. Mary the Virgin in the tranquil village of Bishopsborne in Kent was the venue for a recording of music by Gottfried Finger (c.1655-1730). The recording was organised by Professor Robert Rawson - Professor of Musicology and Historically Informed Performance at Canterbury Christ Church University.The recording of music by ‘The Ingenious Mr Finger’ began on Friday 6th July 2018 with

I performed with the Orchestra of the Age of Enlightenment (OAEducation) as part of their residency in King’s Lynn in the week beginning on Monday 18th of June 2018. This educational project has been touring the country for quite some time, but this particular branch of the project took place at the Corn Exchange in King’s Lynn with a performance based around music from Purcell’s Fairy Queen

Celebrating 333 years since the birth of Johann Sebastian Bach, the Director of Music at the St. Marien Kirche in Rendsburg (Volker Linhardt) invited Russell Gilmour, William Russell and Gareth Hoddinott (listed on the posters as ‘Trompetenensemble Russell Gilmour (London)') to perform with the Kantatenchor St. Marien Rendsburg and Members of the Kiel Philharmonic Orchestra in a concert entitled

I performed in an educational concert with the Orchestra of the Age of Enlightenment on Wednesday 6th June 2018 at Conway Hall in London. The project was based around Purcell’s Fairy Queen and it featured music composed by James Redwood. The additional music had been specially composed to allow for musical interaction with the Key Stage 2 students. The students sang and played instruments with the

After an incredible fortnight at the Göttingen International Handel Festival I returned to the UK via the Hook of Holland to Harwich ferry to join Solomon’s Knot in their continuing B Minor Mass UK tour; a project that began in December 2016 at Shoreditch Town Hall and has seen subsequent performances in Ulverston (July 2017), Nottingham and at St. John’s Smith Square in London (December

I played first trumpet in Bach's B Minor Mass with the Brandenburg Baroque Soloists on Saturday 17th March 2018. The performance, featuring The Windsor and Eton Choral Society and soloists: Gemma Summerfield (soprano), Tim Travers-Brown (countertenor), Tom Raskin (tenor) and Alex Ashworth (baritone) took place in the School Hall at Eton College.Founded in 1837, the Windsor and Eton Choral Society is

Capital of the Occitanie region and the fourth largest city in France, Toulouse is situated on the River Garonne and known as la Ville Rose. Between Saturday 17th and Sunday 25th of February 2018 the Pink City was home to the musicians of Les Talens Lyriques, who rehearsed and gave performances of Christoph Willibald Gluck’s 1774 Paris version of Orphée et Eurydice at the Théâtre du Capitole.Christophe

I played first natural trumpet for a performance entitled ‘Mr Handel’s Messiah’. The performance was given by Penelope Rapson and the choir and orchestra of Fiori Musicali and it took place in Northampton Cathedral on Friday 22nd of December 2017.The performance featured solo performances from: Malu Lin Swayne (Violin), Eloise Irving (Soprano), Robert Cross (Counter-tenor), Edmund Hastings (Tenor),

It was great to play with Voces8 again after the successful Messiah performance last year.On Wednesday 20th December 2017 the group performed Bach’s Wachet auf, ruft uns die Stimme [BWV 140], three carols, and Bach’s Magnificat in D [BWV 243], at Voces8’s home - the (surprisingly reverberant) Gresham Centre. The performance was ably conducted by Voces8's Artistic Director, Barnaby Smith.Final

Following memorable performances in December 2016 (Shoreditch Town Hall) and in July 2017 (Ulverston), Solomon’s Knot gave two subsequent performances of J. S. Bach’s B Minor Mass in December 2017; the first in Nottingham and the second at St. John’s Smith Square, London. The following video was filmed at Shoreditch Town Hall (December 2016) and published in advance of the ​Nottingham &

Following a memorable Messiah performance in December 2014, I returned to Brangwyn Hall in Swansea on Sunday 17th of December 2017 to perform another rendition of this, Handel’s most renowned oratorio, with the Swansea Bach Choir - under the direction of Greg Hallam, with the orchestra Musica Poetica London.The impressive decorative panels adorning Brangwyn Hall, completed by the Belgian-born Sir

I played first trumpet with the Suffolk Baroque Players for Aldeburgh Music Club Choir’s performance of Handel’s Messiah, which was conducted by Edmond Fivet CBE. The concert took place on Saturday 18th of November 2017 in the wonderful venue of Snape Maltings at 7pm. The soloists were Zöe Bonner (Soprano), Amy Lyddon (Mezzo-Soprano), Christopher Bowen (Tenor) and Alex Ashworth (Bass). I performed

After a memorable concert in November 2016 (when Will Russell and I performed Vivaldi’s ‘Concerto for two trumpets in C’) in St. George’s Church in Chichester, we were invited by Andrew Naylor - musical director of Chichester Voices - to return for their 2017 concert, entitled ‘Messiah with Fireworks’. We returned to Chichester on Saturday 4th of November with several additions to our trumpet

Saturday saw glorious autumnal sunshine, so I took the opportunity to explore the hamlet of Flatford in the Stour Valley. I walked around the countryside that is synonymous with John Constable; it was Flatford where Constable painted his ‘Scene on a Navigable River’. After an enjoyable walk, I drove the few remaining miles to Stoke by Nayland (also in the Stour Valley, in Suffolk) where I would

Russell Gilmour, William Russell and Gareth Hoddinott travelled to Saarbrücken in Germany to perform with Le Concert Lorrain and the newly re-named BachChor Saarbrücken, with whom we have built up an excellent rapport over many years. The trumpet section was joined by timpanist Simon Stierle and it is always great to work with him. The performance took place at 6pm on Sunday 17th September 2017 in

Lake District Summer Music’s 33rd festival season opened on Saturday the 29th July 2017 at Ulverston’s Coronation Hall with an "electrifying performance" of Bach’s B Minor Mass, performed by Solomon’s Knot.Get yourself to @corohall for 7:30pm tonight to hear Bach B minor Mass. @solomonsknot sounding phenomenal in rehearsal. Tickets on door pic.twitter.com/oC5VYM2yWN— LDSM Festival 2017

Following on from a residency at the Opera National du Lorrain in Nancy (2014), and a tour to Versailles and Vienna (2016), I joined Les Talens Lyriques for a third time; performing and recording Jean-Baptiste Lully's 'Alceste, ou Le triomphe d’Alcide' (1674) under the direction of Christophe Rousset.Lully's opera 'Alceste, ou Le triomphe d’Alcide' is a 'tragedy in music', with a

The Lea Singers performed Haydn's 'Creation' in St. John's Church in Southdown near Harpenden on Saturday 24th of June 2017. Victoria Longdon conducted the choir, orchestra and soloists: Vanessa Bowers (Gabriel & Eve), Ruairi Bowen (Uriel) and Marcus Farnsworth (Raphael & Adam). The group had chosen to perform an English version of the text, rendered by Paul McCreesh. "Haydn's 'Creation' was

I performed with the Brandenburg Baroque Soloists at Eton College on Thursday 15th of June 2017 at 8:45pm. The performance of Handel’s 'Coronation Anthems' took place in the magnificent Chapel of Eton College.The chorus was directed by Matthew O'Donovan, who brilliantly directed the 14-piece period-instrument orchestra, led by violinist Walter Reiter.I first met Walter Reiter at Dartington International

I performed with Solomon’s Knot in Halle (Saale) and Regensburg in Germany. We performed the Dublin version (1742) of Handel’s ‘Messiah’ in the Dom zu Halle as part of the Halle Händel-Festspiele on Friday 2nd of June. Two nights later we performed in the Dreieinigkeitskirche in Regensburg as part of the Tage Alter Musik festival. Rehearsals took place in London and the group worked

The American International Church on Tottenham Court Road welcomed the City Bach Collective for a performance of J. S. Bach's 'Ascension Oratorio' [BWV 11] on Sunday 21st May 2017. The performance took place as part of the 11am service.It was directed by the American International Church's Director of Music, Scott Stroman, who also gave an informative and entertaining 'Children's Sermon'.

‘Gloria in Excelsis’, ‘Sanctus’ and ‘Agnus Dei’ from Mozart’s ‘Coronation Mass’ (K.317) were performed as parts of the Easter Sunday service (Sung Eucharist with Holy Baptism) at the Parish Church of St. Anne in Kew Green on Easter Sunday, 16th April 2017. I played first trumpet in the orchestra, directed by Chad Kelly. The Choir of St. Anne’s Kew Green sang brilliantly under Chad’s

Goldsmiths Choral Union and the orchestra, 'Musicians of London' performed Handel's 'Dettingen Te Deum', Handel's 'Te Deum in A' and Bach's 'Magnificat' at Cadogan Hall in London on Wednesday 5th of April 2017.Brian Wright conducted the choir, orchestra and their excellent group of soloists: Rachel Ambrose Evans (soprano), Ruth Provost (soprano), Benjamin Williamson (countertenor), Peter Harris (tenor)

It's always an exciting prospect to explore a lesser-known work by Handel. On this occasion, I performed Handel's oratorio 'Belshazzar' (HWV 61) from 1744, with the chorus 'Petros Singers' in a performance at St. James's Piccadilly on Saturday 25th of March 2017. Petros Singers take great pride in performing repertoire that is "often idiosyncratic, eschewing the typical canonical works in order to

I performed with The Brandenburg Classical Players at Eton College on Tuesday 21st March 2017 at 8:15pm. The performance of Haydn's Creation took place in the magnificent School Hall of Eton College.The chorus was formed of the Eton College Musical Society, The Taplow Youth Choir and Wycombe Abbey School. Ed Yeo conducted the combined choirs and The Brandenburg Classical Players - all were on good

I performed the 'Sound the Trumpet' programme with ‘Spiritato’ at the Chichester Assembly Room on Thursday the 16th of February 2017. The evening included works by Purcell, Corbett, Rebel, Fantini, Legrenzi, Albrici, Matheis and Franceschini. Rehearsing Albrici in #chichester ahead of our Sound the Trumpet concert tonight! pic.twitter.com/KW9oOgb3ok— Spiritato! (@Spiritato) February 16, 2017H

On Thursday 9th of March 2017, I was involved in delivering a Historically Informed Performance Class at the Royal Academy of Music in London. Four members of the period-instrument ensemble ‘Spiritato!’ talked about their recent ‘Guts & Glory’ project - which involved discussing many of the key aspects of being a Historically Informed performer. The class focused on the pros and cons of

On Saturday the 28th of January 2017, I performed Bach’s Magnificat [BWV 243] and the Cantata: Ich hatte viel Bekümmernis [BWV 21] at St. Martin-in-the-Fields as part of the Brandenburg Choral Festival of London.Bach's Magnificat is, of course, very well-known and it pairs excellently with BWV 21. I played a very similar programme (although it was the E-flat Magnificat) at the Leipzig BachFest

The Evangelische Chorgemeinschaft an der Saar and Le Concert Lorrain invited me to perform in their New Year Concert, at the Congreßhalle in Saarbrücken. It took place on the Saturday 7th of January 2017. The group, directed by Georg Grün, performed Handel’s ‘Messiah’ with notable soloists from the UK and Germany.The trumpet section consisted of Russell Gilmour (1st trumpet) and William Russell

December 2016 has consisted of several Messiah, B Minor Mass, Magnificat and Christmas Oratorio performances. The final concert before the festive season offered a similarly balanced variety of music from Handel and Bach. It featured Part I of Handel's Messiah in the first half and Bach's Magnificat in D [BWV 243] in the second half. The performance took place at St. Anne's in Kew Green, London on

After two days and two Weihnachtsoratorium performances in Germany, I travelled on to Luxembourg by train and car to join a different Weihnachtsoratorium project, this time with Le Concert Lorrain on Monday 19th of December 2016. From the starting point in Halle I went by train to Köln via Hannover - where I met the third trumpet player, Gareth. From the outskirts of Köln, we met the conductor who

On Thursday 15th of December 2016, I performed Part I of Handel’s ‘Messiah’ in the majestic chapel of Magdalen College, Oxford. The performance featured the magnificent Choir of Magdalen College, four soloists and the orchestra, Oxford Baroque.The choir and the orchestra - led by violinist Claudia Norz - performed from the nave of the chapel with trumpeters Russell Gilmour and William Russell

Solomon’s Knot Baroque Collective performed Bach’s B Minor Mass on Sunday the 11th of December 2016 at Shoreditch Town Hall in London. This, the penultimate concert of Spitalfields Music’s Winter Festival 2016, had been selected by The Times as their 'top pick' in the Classical column (written by Richard Morrison).© James BerrySolomon's Knot brought their characteristic - now trademark

Oxford Baroque performed a programme entitled ‘Bach’s Christmas Vespers 1723’ on Saturday 10th of December 2016 at King’s Place - as part of the venue's ‘Baroque Unwrapped’ season. Jeremy Summerly conducted the choir and orchestra of Oxford Baroque throughout this fascinating programme which included liturgically-linked music by Bach, Franck, Gabrieli, Kuhnau, Praetorius and others.JS Bach

Spiritato’s final 2016 performance of their ‘Guts & Glory’ programme opened the York Early Music Winter Festival on Thursday 8th of December 2016 at St. Margaret’s Church in York - home of the National Centre for Early Music (NCEM). The ensemble was led by the wonderful violinist Kinga Ujszaszi.The fun Guts and Glory project finished for 2016 in York last night. Thank you guys for all your

I performed Handel’s ‘Messiah’ at St. Gabriel’s Church in Pimlico on Tuesday 6th of December 2016. The orchestra ‘Spiritato!’ and the Schola Cantorum of the Cardinal Vaughan Memorial School was conducted by Scott Price, Director of Music of the Cardinal Vaughan Memorial School. Photography by Weenson OoThe boys of the Schola Cantorum sang all of the arias, recitatives and choruses in

The Gresham Centre at the church of St Anne & St Agnes (near the old city wall of London) was the venue for Voces8's performance of Handel's 'Messiah' on Monday the 5th of December 2016. According to the Gresham Centre's website, there has been a church on this site since 1137 - though it has been rebuilt several times due to fire (including the 1666 Great Fire of London) and the Blitz of the Second

Devon Baroque and Exeter Festival Chorus performed J S Bach's Christmas Oratorio in Exeter Cathedral on Saturday 3rd December 2016. The performance was directed by Aidan Oliver.The Exeter Festival Chorus did an excellent job and the soloists, Anna Patalong (soprano), Kate Symonds-Joy (alto), David Webb (tenor) and Benedict Nelson (bass) were all very good too.The guest conductor, Aidan Oliver, had

Venturing into the 18th Century, the Monteverdi String Band performed Handel’s ‘Messiah’ with The Ripieno Choir (directed by David Hansell) in the London suburb of Esher on Saturday 19th of November 2016. The Monteverdi String Band was joined by two oboes, a bassoon, two trumpets and timpani for the performance of Handel’s glorious ‘Messiah’.Wonderful evening yesterday venturing into the

Wednesday 16th of November 2016 saw a performance of 'The Creation’ by Joseph Haydn at the ancient and magnificent Middle Temple Hall in London. Greg Morris directed the Temple Players and the Bar Choral Society through this miraculous work with great energy.The Bar Choral Society’s Autumn Concert featured soprano Amy Haworth, tenor Andrew Tortise and bass DeAndre Simmons - the latter joining us

The Little Baroque Company, led by Kinga Ujszaszi, performed with the St. Cecilia Chorus on Saturday 12th of November at St. Andrew’s Church in Cheam. The evening, conducted by Jonathan Rennert promised ‘festive and celebratory music from the first half of the 18th century… predominantly bright in mood, with brilliant orchestral colour, often featuring trumpets.'The ensemble performed William

Spiritato's tour of the 'Guts & Glory' programme continued on Friday 11th November 2016 at St. George’s Kemp Town, in Brighton. The performance was part of the Brighton Early Music Festival 2016.Brighton Early Music Festival had chosen the theme of ‘Nature & Science’ for their 2016 festival, exploring observation, discovery, invention and creation. In the spirit of innovation, Spiritato

St. George’s in Bristol was the venue for the most recent performance of Spiritato’s 'Guts and Glory' programme. Click here to read an older post about this programme.The concert took place on the 9th of November 2016 in this magnificent venue in the vibrant city of Bristol. Spiritato performed the programme with vigour and assurance, informing and delighting the audience along the way. The programme

Cadogan Hall was the venue for a concert given by Goldsmiths Choral Union, celebrating the 70th birthday of their acclaimed and longstanding Musical Director, Brian Wright. The programme consisted of Haydn’s 'Nelson Mass' and Mozart’s ‘Requiem’. The choral union was accompanied by the ‘Musicians of London’ orchestra.The period-instrument orchestra featured a fantastic obbligato from Martyn

A performance of Mozart’s ‘Requiem’ took place at St. Anne’s in Kew Green for the 'commemoration of the faithful departed’ service on All Souls’ Day. The Requiem Mass was held from 18:30 until 19:30 on Sunday 30th of October 2016.Chad Kelly directed the St. Anne's Choir and an orchestra of reduced forces (namely: Violin I, Violin II, Viola, Cello, Cor Anglais I, Cor Anglais II, Bassoon

Christophe Rousset’s orchestra, Les Talens Lyriques [@talenslyriques] invited me to play in their project comprising two performances and a recording of the opera ‘Les Horaces' (1786) by Antonio Salieri (1750 - 1825).On the 10th of October 2016, I travelled from London to Paris on the Eurostar [a marvel of railway engineering that I never fail to be impressed by]. Rehearsals with Les Talens Lyriques

As a young lad, if I showed any reluctance to attend a rehearsal I was given the choice of: 'band, ballet or bed'. I ruled out ballet immediately and always chose band eventually. To a six-year-old, the prospect of going to bed early seemed like a punishment - how times change! Being allowed to stay up late was a privilege reserved for very special occasions - one such occasion being the Last Night

Zelenka - HypocondrieBach - Magnificat in DBach - Brandenburg Concerto No. 2- Interval -Handel - Dixit DominusArs Eloquentiae and the Southampton Philharmonic Choir performed a programme of demanding choral and instrumental works on Saturday 18th of June 2016. The 7:30pm concert in Winchester Cathedral was attended by a substantial and ethereally back-lit audience. As the concert began the sun was

The baroque collective Solomon’s Knot performed on the second day of Leipzig’s Bachfest, giving a concert on Saturday, 11th of June 2016 in the Nikolaikirche. The singers performed the entire concert from memory and the conductorless ensemble wowed the Leipzig audience with what the Leipzig Bachfest described as an ‘outstandingly vivid’ performance. The response from the audience was overwhelming

On Saturday 21st May 2016 I performed with Sinfonia Britannica in the National Musicians’ Church in London, otherwise known as St Sepulchre-without-Newgate on Holborn Viaduct.Soloists: Miriam Allan, Elizabeth Weisberg, Cathy Bell, Greg Tassell and Julian DebreuilJoanna Tomlinson directed the large and enthusiastic voices of the Constanza Chorus through three demanding works: Vivaldi’s ‘Dixit

Oxford Early Music festival put on a concert of Georg Frederic Händel’s ‘Israel in Egypt’ on Friday 13th of May 2016 in the University of Oxford’s first official building, the University Church. The International Baroque Players joined a fantastic line-up of soloists: Emma Kirkby (soprano), Robyn Allegra Parton (soprano), Robin Blaze (countertenor), Thomas Hobbs (tenor), Jonathan Arnold

St Andrew's Church in Cheam, (in the London Borough of Sutton) was the venue for a performance of Bach’s B Minor Mass on Saturday 16th of April 2016. The performance was given by the St Cecilia Chorus and the Little Baroque Company (orchestra). The performance was directed by Jonathan Rennert.It was a fantastic orchestra and the choir did a wonderful job singing this epic and virtuosic work.Soloists:Soprano:

Last week saw the realisation of Spiritato’s innovative ‘Guts and Glory’ project. Exploring ‘equal tension’ strings and using natural trumpets without finger holes, the group devised and delivered a programme of 17th Century music by Biber, Schmelzer, Vejvanovsky and Bertali.The project began with an open rehearsal and discussion event on Friday 8th April 2016 in which Spiritato welcomed

I played first trumpet in Handel's Coronation Anthems in St. Martin-in-the-Fields in London. The section consisted of Russell Gilmour, William Russell & Gareth Hoddinott.The Joyful Company of Singers and the Brandenburg Baroque Soloists were conducted by Peter Broadbent in this candlelit concert on Thursday 7th of April, as part of the Brandenburg Choral Festival 2016 at St. Martin-in-the-Fields.The

I left home very early on Saturday morning to be able to spend the morning in York before rehearsing and performing there. I had arranged to meet my friend from the Isle of Man (Matthew) and we both arrived in York at 0930. We had a good breakfast before visiting the National Railway Museum and we had a brief wander around York before my rehearsal. With the recent media coverage of the completion and

On Tuesday the 23rd February 2016, the choir 'Sonoro' gave a performance of a programme entitled 'Baroque Masterpieces' at St. Martin-in-the-Fields in London. The programme showcased the vibrant sonority of this new professional choir with performances of Handel's 'Zadok the Priest', Vivaldi's 'Gloria' and Bach's 'Magnificat in D'. The Sonoro Baroque Ensemble, led by Simon Standage also performed

I visited Germany to play in a New Year Concert at the Congreßhalle in Saarbrücken. It was held on Sunday 2nd of January 2016. I played in the equivalent concert last year, on the 1st of January 2015 - when it was held in the Ludwigskirche in Saarbrücken. The initial idea had been to perform Handel’s Messiah in the 2016 concert, but unfortunately the Congresshalle had already recently hosted a

The ‘baroque collective’ Solomon’s Knot gave a performance entitled ‘Christmas in Leipzig’ on Monday 21st December 2015 as part of St. John’s Smith Square’s 30th Christmas Festival. The concert featured music by three composers who consecutively held the position of Kantor at the Thomaskirche in Leipzig: Johann Schelle, Johann Kuhnau and Johann Sebastian Bach."This concert gives us a

On Saturday 19th of December 2015, I performed Handel's 'Messiah' at St. Anne's Church in Kew Green, London, with the group Ars Eloquentiae.The performance was directed by the wonderfully energetic Chad Kelly. He lead the ensemble and small chorus through this work from the chamber organ at the front - leading with clarity and excitement. After several encouraging gestures and glances from the director,

The final concert of Spitalfields Music’s Winter Festival was given by the Baroque Collective - ‘Solomon’s Knot’ on Tuesday 15th of December 2015 at Shoreditch Church (St Leonard’s) in London. This was Solomon’s Knot’s debut at Spitalfields Music.The group performed parts I, III, V and VI from Bach’s Christmas Oratorio without a conductor and the eight singers performed the whole concert

I participated in a performance of Handel's Messiah in Greenwich, London. The Dulwich Choral Society performed this seasonal favourite on Saturday 12th of December 2015 in the beautiful and highly ornate Chapel of the Old Royal Naval College in Greenwich.We hope you enjoyed our Messiah last night. We're now looking forward to our Dove and Orff concert on Sat 12th March pic.twitter.com/4YgjwGijfC—

In what has been a busy week, I returned (early in the morning) from Wrocław in Poland to the United Kingdom for a concert on Thursday 19th of November 2015. I returned to the Temple area in London to perform just a few metres away from where I performed ‘Let the Bright Seraphim’ and Vivaldi’s ‘Gloria’ on Monday 16th of November 2015. This time it was with slightly different forces (The

At 7pm on Sunday the 15th of November I played first trumpet in a Messiah at ‘The Anvil’ in Basingstoke. The performance was given by the orchestra Ars Eloquentiae and the Basingstoke Choral Society and was directed by David Gibson. Details from the Basingstoke Choral Society website (below) had outlined their aims for the work and I would like to congratulate them on achieving them - it was a

On Wednesday 30th of September I performed with 'Spiritato!' in their lunchtime concert at the Wiltshire Music Centre, Bradford-on-Avon. The concert, entitled 'Sound the Trumpet', included music by Purcell, Corbett, Matteis, Albrici and Francescini. It explored the links between English and Italian styles.We had performed similar programmes to this earlier this year at the Forge in Camden and at the

The London-based orchestra Ars Eloquentiae joined forces with the Fitzwilliam String Quartet to give several performances during a residency at St. Andrews University in Scotland. The project involved performing Gluck's 'Iphigéne en Tauride' with Byre Opera in the Byre Theatre in St. Andrews. There was a Bach project taking place simultaneously which included performing and recording the 'Credo' from

On Friday 1st of May, I performed with the Orchestra of the Age of Enlightenment in a concert and education workshop at the Corn Exchange in King’s Lynn, Norfolk. I played 2nd trumpet in Handel’s Coronation Anthem - ‘Zadok the Priest’. My part in the performance was very small, as I was only involved in this performance of ‘Zadok the Priest’. The rest of the programme included round-singing,

Over the weekend, I performed an all-Bach programme in Saarbrücken in Germany with Le Concert Lorrain. The programme included the Easter Oratorio (BWV 249), Concerto for Oboe, Violin, Strings and Basso Continuo (BWV 1060) and the Ascension Oratorio (BWV 11) and it had attracted a large audience to the Stiftskirche St. Arnual in Saarbrücken, Germany for a 5pm performance on Sunday 26th April 2015. The

After the B Minor Mass in Chester Cathedral, I travelled down to Dartington in Devon with the Bassoon section, who were (as luck would have it) doing the same concerts as me this weekend.Dartington is a very familiar and special venue - I spent many summers there at the International Summer School at Dartington Hall, near Totnes in Devon. The hall itself is picturesque and it feels tranquil, with its

Trebles and Altos from the Schola Cantorum of the London Oratory School joined the Westminster Cathedral Choir for a performance of J S Bach's B Minor Mass in Westminster Cathedral. Martin Baker conducted the orchestra and choirs. Kirra Thomas led the orchestra.The audience filled Westminster Cathedral and there was an incredible sense of calm silence from the large audience, that remained throughout

On Saturday, I revisited the conservatoire where I studied for my undergraduate degree - the Royal Northern College of Music, in Manchester. This time I was there to perform in the newly-refurbished concert hall as the leader of a section of three natural trumpets (myself, Will Russell and Gareth Hoddinott). We played Bach’s Magnificat in D with Manchester Baroque.With all three trumpet players travelling

'Spiritato!' gave a concert at The Forge in Camden on Tuesday 3rd of February 2015. The group performed works by:H Purcell: King ArthurOverture : Air : Act I OvertureH Purcell: Sonata in Four Parts No.3 in A minorW Corbett: Suite in DOuverture : Aria : Gavotta : Sarabanda : Minuet : Air Ecossois : Air : Marche : MinuetG F Rebel: Les Caractères de la danse~ Interval ~G Fantini: Sonata a due Trombe

The chapel in Trinity College in Cambridge was the venue for Cambridge Baroque's concert on Saturday evening. The concert featured music by Bach, Schütz and Gabrieli.I played the Cornetto in Gabrieli's 'O Magnum Mysterium' and I played the Natural Trumpet in the Schütz 'Christmas Story'. The trumpets symbolise the royalty of King Herod, and accompany him in his aria.I took the opportunity to arrive

It was great to spend New Year's Eve and New Year's Day in Saarbrücken in Germany for a concert of music by Bach and Telemann. The concert was given by the French group Le Concert Lorrain. The section of three natural trumpets and timpani included myself on first trumpet, William Russell on 2nd and Olivier Picon on 3rd, with Frithjof Koch on Timpani. We played music intended for the New Year, including

My final Messiah of the year was in Kew Green with Ars Eloquentiae, directed by Chad Kelly.I have had the pleasure of performing with this group on several other occasions over the past few years. This time the group was joined by a hand-picked ensemble of 12 vocalists.The group performed Handel's Messiah to a full audience at St. Anne's Church in Kew Green, London. The good sense of energy made what

Myself and fellow trumpeter, Will Russell travelled to Swansea in Wales on Friday night, ready for an afternoon rehearsal and evening performance of Handel's Messiah on Saturday. We stayed with very generous hosts and we had chance on Saturday morning to relax over a leisurely breakfast and enjoy a walk on the beach at Mumbles. For lunch we met our hosts John and Sarah at a local restaurant (The Sketty

I played first trumpet in a performance of Handel's Messiah at St. John's Smith Square on Friday 5th of December 2014. The performance, given by Solomon's Knot was a refreshingly vibrant performance of this well-known work. The eight singers performed the entire piece from memory, which somehow gave the impression that the music was being spontaneously composed. The movements flowed seamlessly into

Ars Eloquentiae, meaning 'the Art of Eloquence', is a young and lively ensemble, specialising in period instrument performance. It is so great to work with people of my generation. I know people in this group from a range of place such as: the Royal Northern College of Music and the Royal College of Music. There are also several players I know from attending Dartington Summer School and others I know

The first trip of this year was to Nancy in France, to perform in the Opera National du Lorrain. What a great way to get over the so-called 'January blues'!Opera National du LorrainThe group, 'Les Talens Lyriques' (led by Christophe Rousset) were great, both musically and organisationally. I was looked after very well, and they had provided accommodation a short walk from the opera house and each room