List of upcoming NEEMF events

Sun, 7 Apr 2024

Sunday 7th April 2024

The annual NEEMF performing day at the Bowes Museum, Newgate, Barnard Castle, DL12 8NP

Come and enjoy this fabulous museum, as well as enjoying performances by a range of NEEMF early music groups.

The schedule is:

12.00. Magnolia Consort of Viols

12.30. Magnolia Consort of Singers

13.00. Peter Bull medieval instrumentalist

13.30  St Austin's Choir

14.00. Richard Taylor harpsichord & bassoon

14.30  Tenovus singing ensemble

15.00. Dulciana - early baroque instrumental ensemble

15.30. Benedict Biscop medieval choir

16.00. Cathy Edmunds violinist

Sun, 28 Apr 2024

Sunday 28 April 2024

The annual 'NEEMF Day Out' at Temple Newsam House, Leeds. An opportunity to hear NEEMF members and their friends perform throughout the day in this magnificent setting. 

Programme:

11.30    Leeds Waits                      late 15th century instrumental

12.00    Cowling Recorders             renaissance consort

 

1.30    Dulciana                             early baroque instrumental

2.00    Peter Bull                            Tudor instrumental

2.30    Nachtanz                             crumhorn consort

3.00    Primavera                            medieval dance music

3.30    Shadwell Lutes                     lute consort

4.00    St. Austin's Choir                  renaissance vocal polyphony

Sat, 18 May 2024

Saturday 18 May 2024

Christ lag in Todes Banden

Led by Stephen Muir

A workshop for singers and instruments

(Violins I&II, Viola, Cello, Double bass, Organ and Harpsichord)

The Church of All Souls, Blackman Lane, Leeds, LS7 1LW

10 for 10.30am, finish 4.30pm, Pitch A=440

 

Johann Sebastian Bach's Cantata BWV 4, ‘Christ lag in Todes Banden’ (Christ lay in death's bonds) was composed when Bach was 22 or 23 years old, in Mühlhausen, most likely as part of a job application for an organist position. It is a prime example of his masterful integration of theology and musical expression. It is in seven movements, opening with a jubilant sinfonia, followed by alternating choral and recitative sections. Each movement unfolds with a rich tapestry of contrapuntal intricacies, showcasing Bach's profound understanding of both sacred text and musical craftsmanship. The text, based on Martin Luther's Easter hymn, reflects on the theological significance of Christ's resurrection. From the initial acknowledgment of Christ's victory over death to the exploration of the believer's liberation from sin, Bach weaves a narrative that resonates with both intellectual and emotional depth.

 

Stephen Muir was Associate Professor in Music at the University of Leeds for 25 years, his research focusing on 19th-century Russian music and Jewish liturgical music. From 2014 to 2018 he was Principal Investigator for the £1.8m AHRC-funded international project Performing the Jewish Archive (ptja.leeds.ac.uk), resulting in performances in Sydney, Cape Town and Prague, at London’s Wigmore Hall, and at the UK Parliament’s Holocaust Memorial Day Annual Commemoration. He has worked extensively in the UK as a singer, percussionist, and conductor, including recordings and broadcasts for BBC Radio 3 and Classic FM. With Leeds Baroque Choir and Orchestra he has sung the J. S. Bach Evangelist roles on several occasions, and recently appeared as timpanist for the debut of Leeds Baroque’s new hand-crafted kettle drums, alongside trumpeter Crispian Steele-Perkins. He is Assistant Director of The Clothworkers Consort of Leeds and a founder member of Leodis Consort. Scores and MIDI resources will be made available in advance.

PLEASE NOTE: The church has only one toilet so breaks may take longer than usual.

COST £18; concessions £9 (people aged ≤26 or on a very low income e.g. solely dependent on state benefits).  STUDENTS FREE. Refreshments at breaks included. Bring a packed lunch or use local facilities.

Cosing date for applications: 4 May.  Please read the downloadable application form for access and parking information.

To apply online, please click here

Download application form

Sat, 1 Jun 2024

Saturday 1 June 2024

Get a Handel on Handel!

A workshop for voices, strings, keyboard, oboe, bassoon and recorders (alto or bass), continuo (inc. bass viols). Pitch A=440

Led by Amanda Babington

Clements Hall, York YO23 1BW  10 for 10.30 - 16.30

 

In August 1717, Handel joined James Brydges (Earl of Canarvon and later Duke of Chandos) for dinner at Cannons, Brydges’estate near Edgeware, London. There followed a brief spell in the service of the Earl and by the Summer of 1718 Handel had completed 11 anthems that came to be known as the Chandos anthems (although recently renamed the Cannons anthems). Handel drew upon the tradition of English church music in his form and scoring of the anthems. And in fact two of them were based on earlier anthems composed for the Chapel Royal, and a third was a revision of the Utrecht Jubilate. At Cannons, Handel had access to a substantial establishment of musicians supervised by J.C.Pepusch and the anthems reflect the relative security he felt at Cannons, with dramatic word painting and imaginative instrumental colours. We will look at choruses from two of my favourite anthems, no. 10 ‘The Lord is my light’ and no. 11 ‘Let God arise’.

 

Amanda Babington is a recorder player, baroque violinist and musette player. Artistic Director of Baroque In The North, she has played and recorded with many of the leading British and European period-instrument ensembles, as well as with chamber ensembles AB24, Four’s Company, and Aberdeen Early Music Collective. Amanda is a lecturer at the Royal Northern College of Music, Executive Officer for the Royal Musical Association and Director of the University of Manchester Baroque Orchestra. She has given masterclasses and talks at various universities and conservatoires in the UK & abroad. Amanda has published various articles on Handel and her book, ‘Handel’s Messiah: the Creative Process’ will be published later this year.

 

COST £18; concessions £9 (people aged ≤26 or on a very low income e.g. solely dependent on state benefits).  STUDENTS FREE.
Refreshments at breaks included. Bring a packed lunch or use local facilities.

Closing date for applications: 18 May.  Please read the downloadable application form for access and parking information.

To apply online, please click here

Download application form

Sat, 20 Jul 2024

A workshop of Renaissance music for singers and instrumentalists, led by Peter Wendland in Newcastle. Details soon.