Dazzling music by famous Baroque composers in two stunning eighteenth-century Norwich venues

Don’t miss the love:Handel Music Festival from The Brook Street Band this Autumn… 

Photo: Dan Bridge

The award-winning Brook Street Band return to one of their favourite cities, Norwich, for the love:Handel Baroque music festival on September 26-28 and October 3-5. Across two weekends, audiences can enjoy dazzling music by famous Baroque composers including Handel, Bach and Purcell, in two stunning eighteenth-century venues, the Octagon Chapel and Assembly House.

Described by BBC Music Magazine as “an ensemble so pin-sharp it merits a safety warning”, the Band takes its name from the London street where Handel – known worldwide for his famous Hallelujah chorus – once lived. Group founder Tatty Theo said: “Handel’s music is simply the best – whatever you’re feeling, he’s found a way to express it in beautiful music!”

Festival highlights from the first weekend include The Power of Three on September 26, with titans of Baroque music battling it out to see who’s best. On September 27, there’s the rare chance to hear Handel’s mini-opera Apollo e Dafne, with international soloists Ana Beard Fernández and Edward Grint. This dramatic work covers the full sweep of human emotions – love, infatuation, lust, rejection, determination, power, scorn and self-pity – all packed into one unforgettable performance. There’s also an illuminating pre-concert talk given by Handel expert David Vickers exploring how Ovidian transformative tales occurred throughout Handel’s career in Italy, Hanover and London. What better way to set the scene for Apollo e Dafne! 

 There’s new music from composers straddling the pop and classical worlds. Nitin Sawhney and Master of the King’s Music Errollyn Wallen (whose music opened the 2025 Proms) have written for the Brook Street Band. Audiences can catch these innovative works in two atmospheric performances on September 28, fusing music with narrated texts. Kitchen Conversations is full of juicy gossip and deep conversation, while As Steals the Morn Upon the Night invites listeners to suspend reality and journey through the mysteries of night.

love:Handel’s second weekend kicks off with world premiere performances of two pieces of music written especially for the Band as part of the 2025 Young Composers Award, held in conjunction with the National Centre for Early Music and Radio 3. The winning compositions by Avram Harris and Kit McCarthy take Handel’s trio sonatas as their inspiration, pairing them the best of both Op. 2 and Op.5. Prepare to be beguiled, hearing Handel through fresh new ears.

No Handelian event would be complete without a trip to the famous Pleasure Gardens, with music to entertain, delight, and distract from the cares of everyday life. Music by Handel and his contemporaries Arne, Avison and Geminiani is on the playlist in this collaborative orchestral concert with the city’s own renowned Baroque ensemble, Norwich Baroque.

love:Handel 2025 wraps up with some of the most beautiful accompanied vocal music of the Baroque era, sung by special guest, tenor James Gilchrist. James brings a selection of songs, arias and cantatas by Dowland, Purcell and Handel to Norwich’s Assembly House for what promises to be a grand festival finale!

All the concerts and talks are friendly and accessible. Thanks to local funding the Band has been running education programmes in Norfolk schools, and focussing on making concerts accessible within the Norwich community. There’s a totally free family concert on October 4, plus free tickets for any event for those under 23. Don’t miss this wonderful opportunity to try something new, relax, de-stress and experience world-class music- making right on your doorstep.

Huge thanks to funders and sponsors including Continuo Foundation, the Assembly House Trust, the Garrick Charitable Trust, Norwich Freemen's Charity, Anguish's Educational Foundation whose generous support makes love:Handel 2025 possible.

Full details from the Brook Street Band's website.