Rehearsal at Sophie’s Barn – lots of music to organise. 7 viols dropped off at the Holywell Music Room. We spent the first two days of March rehearsing for our upcoming tour of ‘Inn Stetter Hut, music for the richest man in the world’. What a great programme it is: such variety and beauty; from the moving ‘regretz’ settings to the more rustic ‘La la hö hö’ and James Gilchrist’s heartwarming singing can’t fail to move you. Our concert tour kicked off in Oxford and was a very sociable occasion hosted by Dr Peter Collins, Emeritus Fellow of St Edmund Hall. A pre-concert talk with James Gilchris ..read more

James Gilchrist and the Linarol Consort of Viols Following the release of Inn Stetter Hut by Inventa we are delighted to announce concert dates that celebrate the exciting musical collaboration between James Gilchrist and the Linarol Consort of Renaissance Viols Concerts Tuesday 7th March, 7.30pm: Holywell Music Room, Oxford OX1 3SD 5.30pm Pre-concert talk Old Dining Hall, St Edmund Hall, OX14AR Tickets from Ticketsource Thursday 9th March, 7.30pm: Downing Place URC, Cambridge CB2 3EL . Tickets from Cambridge Early Music Friday 10th March, 7.30pm: The Priory, Leominster HR6 8EQ Tickets from Co ..read more

We had a busy few weeks in May performing our Epitaph for a Green Lover programme with Héloïse Bernard, in Wales, Scotland and England. The tour would not have been possible without the generous support of the Continuo Foundation and many of our friends on the way. Sophie’s Barn Chacombe Our Green Lover tour started off with rehearsals at Sophie’s Barn and we gave a concert to support Sophie’s Silver Lining Fund. This is a wonderful charity which gives help to students of performing arts – have a look here to find out more. Many thanks to Cherry and Stephen Large for their warm hospitality and ..read more

Here are David Hatcher’s programme notes for our concerts with Héloïse Bernard Epitaph for a Green Lover. Please join us in this beautiful programme of 16th century music. Soubz ce tumbel – Pierre de la Rue (cl.1452-1518) In an age when the daughters of the potentates of Europe were little more than bargaining tools in Machiavellian international diplomacy, to be married off into the families of potential allies in order to seal a treaty, few were so valuable and yet ultimately so rigorously independently minded as Marguerite of Austria. She was the daughter of Mary of Burgundy and Maximilian ..read more

Hawkwood – Centre for Future Thinking We have just had the privilege of spending the last five days at Hawkwood as artists in residence. Hawkwood is a beautiful estate set above Stroud in the Cotswolds, and is the most inspiring environment for creativity. Our residency was supported by Hawkwood and The Francis W Reckitt Arts Trust: we are extremely grateful to them for giving us the wonderful opportunity for uninterrupted musical exploration. The only interruption was for the delectable food; homemade cakes, cookies, salads, sauces ….. such exquisite flavours! View from the sitting room at ..read more

From 26th to 29th October we recorded the second disk of music from Ms. 18 810. We had the pleasure to be joined by James Gilchrist singing the texted pieces and En-Ming Lin on tenor viol. After the weekend’s success of the Crowdfunder appeal it was wonderful to be actually playing the music. We recorded in the Church of St Mary Magdalene in Sherborne, Gloucestershire, with its beautiful acoustic. It is set in the the magnificent Sherborne Park with the river Windrush running through and has the most classy village shop imaginable: it must be stocked by Fortnum and Mason. We played i ..read more

We have just had two great days playing the most wonderful music at Sophie’s Barn near Banbury. We spent the first day rehearsing Josquin in preparation for our concert on 14th August with Héloïse Bernard. And what a marvellous composer he is – each piece is a pleasure to play and listen to. a selection of viols ….. hmmm is that a harp amongst them? In the evening we worked on the website for our Josquin 500 Festival making sure that details are accurate and links are working correctly. We have made the website live and tickets can be bought for the concerts and events from 1st July. Dreadful ..read more

We have been very busy over the last couple of months working on a project to mark the 500th anniversary of the death of Josquin des Prez. At the end of March we were thrilled to hear that we had been successful in being awarded a grant by the new Continuo Foundation to help put on the Linarol Consort’s Josquin 500 Festival which will take place in August and September this year. We have planned three live concerts in UK: Linarol Viols and Héloïse Bernard (soprano), secular chansons of Josquin. August 14th The Church of St Mary & St Eanswythe, Folkestone. Héloïse Bernard Jacob Heringman I ..read more

We’ve started rehearsing again. Hurrah! And it’s so good to have some news to share. Asako, Ali and David at Sophie’s Barn, Oxfordshire We have been given the opportunity of recording a second disc. In November we will be travelling to Alpheton in Suffolk, to a new recording venue (opened just before lockdown), Alpheton New Maltings, with experienced engineer/producer David Hinitt. The material to be recorded will be pieces from a manuscript published in Venice in 1501 by the music publisher, Ottaviano Petrucci, entitled Canti B. This is the second in a series of three which were the first mus ..read more