We continue our Monteverdi project with the ever-popular 1610 Vespers – but with a difference. Peter Holman’s new version replaces three of the psalms with unfamiliar but superb settings of the same texts, making the whole work more suitable for a chamber choir accompanied by a period-instrument ensemble.

A workshop with Sam Goble and Philip Dale – members of the cornett & sackbut group QuintEssential – exploring brass music written around 1600.

A pre concert talk by Professor Peter Holman, Artistic Director

Thomas Arne’s Alfred is universally known today for just one number, ‘Rule! Britannia’, performed every year at the Last Night of the Proms. However, the complete score contains some of Arne’s finest music and was one of his favourite works.

A pre concert talk by Professor Julian Rushton, University of Leeds

In this compelling programme, ground-breaking quartets by Haydn, Mozart and Beethoven are linked by their creative use of Baroque fugal techniques. The Revolutionary Drawing Room is internationally renowned for its historically informed performances of music around 1800, with a sound founded on the beautiful sonority of gut strings.

In this entertaining lecture demonstration, Ricardo Barros is joined by violinist Nicolette Moonen and dancer Barbara Segal to explore how choreography interacted with music, and how dance was an expression of the Baroque court culture.

An afternoon of talks and the exhibition Silk.

A fascinating programme exploring the influence of French music and dance in England. The main work is Handel’s rarely-performed Terpsicore, an unique fusion of French ballet and Italian opera.