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 was involved in a performance of Monteverdi’s Vespers in the church of St. Martin-in-the-Fields, just off Trafalgar Square in London. The performance took place at 8pm on Saturday 30th January 2016 and it was given by the choir of Royal Holloway, University of London - directed by Rupert Gough. The orchestra was provided by Bob Porter and was called the ‘Brandenburg Baroque Soloists’. It consisted

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

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

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

I played first trumpet in Handel’s Messiah in Peterborough Cathedral on Friday 18th of December 2015. The performance was one of the most enjoyable of the whole season on account of the glorious acoustic and due to the high standard of the combined forces of the Peterborough Cathedral Choir, Youth Choir and Festival Chorus. The soloists were all excellent: Soprano - Robyn Allegra Parton, Alto - Owen

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

I played first trumpet in Handel's Messiah with the Purcell Orchestra on Sunday the 13th of December 2015 in St. Mary Abbots Church, near High Street Kensington in London.The choir were a small and excellent group of vocalists, called the 'St Mary Abbots Singers'. They sailed their way through the Messiah under the clear direction of their conductor Mark Uglow. It was a very pleasant performance and

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 —

Sherborne Abbey was the magnificent venue for a concert entitled ‘Baroque Christmas’ on Saturday 5th of December 2015 at 7:30pm. The concert was given by the Sherborne Chamber Choir, the ensemble ’In Echo’ [founded by Gawain Glenton who is now a resident of Sherborne] and trumpet players from the Altenburg Ensemble. The advertising for the concert had invited the audience to ‘join us as we

‘Spiritato!’ performed a family-orientated programme as part of the ‘Hackney Proms’ at Stoke Newington Town Hall on at 13:15 on Sunday 22nd November 2015. The programme was entitled ‘Gulliver’s Travels: A voyage to Lilliput’. The programme consisted of many short movements that fitted around a script - which was excitingly narrated by Will Russell (dressed as Gulliver). The lively narration

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

I travelled to Wrocław in Poland to perform Grzegorz Gerwazy Gorczycki's 'Completorium' in a concert of chamber music, played in the Red Hall (Sala Czerwona) at the National Forum of Music (Narodowe Forum Muzyki). The concert was given on the 18th of November 2015 and it marked the 50th Anniversary of a message being sent from Polish Bishops to German Bishops after World War 2. 'Chamber

London's Temple Church was the venue for a concert given by The Bar Choral Society and The Temple Players on Monday 16th of November. The Bar Choral Society, formed in 2014, is a musical collaboration of barristers, judges, other people who work within the legal profession and their family members. "The Society rehearses and performs in Temple Church which has a long association with the Law, providing

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 Saturday 14th November 2015, I played Roman’s Drottingholm Music, Zelenka’s Missa Paschalis and Carl Philipp Emanuel Bach’s Magnificat in a trumpet section with Richard Fomison and Matt Wells. We were playing under the directorship of Richard Knight at the Malvern Theatres in Great Malvern. The concert was given by the Malvern Festival Chorus and The Musical and Amicable Society. I had never