Friday 3 July 2020

Armonico Consort launches weekly series of performances recorded at the Court House, Warwick

Christopher Monks & Armonico Consort at the Court House, Warwick
Christopher Monks & Armonico Consort at the Court House, Warwick
The Armonico Consort has launched a weekly series of performances recorded live and broadcast on the group's Facebook page. These socially distanced performances are recorded in the Court House, Warwick. The first, on 1 July 2020, featured Purcell’s Dido and Aeneas with singers Elizabeth Adams, Eloise Irving, Robert Davies, William Towers and Graham Neal, directed by Christopher Monks [YouTube]. Further concerts take place at 6pm on Wednesdays during July, with performances of Byrd's Mass for four voices directed by Geoffrey Webber, and Oz & Armonico, the group's programme with wine expert Oz Clarke.

Bringing the term to a close, the group is holding an on-line 3-day festival (15-17 July 2020) with live recorded performances including A Crafty Beer with the Kings Singers. A new on-line feature, Unlocking Baroque Memories, broadcast at 1pm on Mondays, features Armonico Consort’s musicians delivering music therapy sessions for those living with dementia, working with the Alzheimer’s Society. Ahead of the launch, musicians have been creating short recordings and sharing recollections of a chosen piece, ‘Spring’ from Vivaldi’s The Four Seasons, Marcello’s Oboe Concerto and extracts from Bach’s St John Passion will feature in coming weeks.

The group has also been continuing its community work on-line, with Sing ‘n’ Shine sessions for children with choir leader Patrick Stockbridge and Sing With Simon workshops for isolated older people, led by Simon Lole. A cancelled Royal Albert Hall gala concert was transformed into a week-long Virtual Royal Albert Hall festival which saw over 120,000 audience members engage with the organisation’s work via social media.

Read my 2019 interview with Armonico Consort's artistic director, Christopher Monks - From Supersize Polyphony to choir creation.

Wednesday performances are broadcast live on Armonico Consort's Facebook page, and existing sessions are free to view on their YouTube page. Full details from the Armonico Consort's website.

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