Jamie Akers (plucked strings) and Claire Troth (soprano) have been playing together since 2004, and have explored various types of lute song and different genres of music, from consort music to the mad songs of the Restoration, medieval Christmas music to sacred settings of the Mass. We both have a common goal in choosing our programme for audition – Claire has always been interested in folk music and the huge cross-over area between early music and folk, when the boundaries which we know today were not so rigid.  She is also inspired by the idea that a song and lyrics can be passed down through the generations and each generation will interpret it differently, and indeed change many aspects of it to suit their own genre.  Jamie on the other hand has an interest in different instruments from different countries and eras…this again crosses over with the folk genre and world music scene.  This project is very exciting to us as it would give us both the opportunity to explore new avenues of sound and style, whilst adding new musical ideas to our own area of expertise.  Our programme was chosen with the intention of combining both classical and folk elements whilst keeping a story and emotional journey running through the music.

 

ACIS 

Camilla Scarlett                        violin

Hilary Michael                        violin

Sally Woods                        cello

Christopher Bucknall                        harpsichord

Acis brings together four young musicians who share a passion for performance and who take as their focus the rich trio sonata repertory of the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries.

Originally formed at the Royal Academy of Music, the group draws on a variety of experiences gained from individual postgraduate studies on modern and baroque instruments, performance lectures and classes given by artists such as Rachel Brown, Jed Wentz and Liz Kenny, as well as from colossal ensemble projects directed by some of the giants of the early music world including Trevor Pinnock, William Christie and Sir John Eliot Gardiner.

Acis has performed publicly at venues in London, as well as privately for Pilgrim’s School in Winchester and for the Friends of Handel House Museum. Their participation as Young Artists for the 2007 Brighton Early Music Festival represents a welcome opportunity to perform early music in a more relaxed, informal setting.

Chelys

Ibi Aziz                        viol

Alison Kinder                        viol

Jennifer Barron                        viol

 

The word 'Chelys' is derived from the ancient Greeks and denotes their bowed lyre, said to have been invented by the god Hermes. We find this name appropriate not only because the bowed lyre is a distant cousin to our own instrument, but because, like Hermes (who is the Olympian God of boundaries and those who cross them), our ensemble seeks to share the consort repertoire for viol with new, non-traditional audiences--to cross over the boundaries that define the world of the 'classical-music listener' and thoughtfully engage all types of audiences. The members of our ensemble, all current or former students at Trinity College of Music, have varied and interesting backgrounds in a number of genres, and they enjoy combining these experiences to create new and interesting performances for listeners of all kinds.

 

Little Baroque Company

Helen Kruger                        violin

Ivana Cetkovic                        violin

Joanne Miller                        viola

Tomasz Pokrzywinski                        cello

Laura Tivendale                        harpsichord

 

The Little Baroque Company is a recently founded early music ensemble based in London.  The core of the group consists of a quintet, which at times expands to the size of a small orchestra.  The Little Baroque Company explores a wide range of repertoire in its performances and has a particular panache for the virtuosic works of the Italian Baroque composers.  The multi-national group is dedicated to making early music more accessible and is particularly interested in education and outreach work.  A finalist in the Nancy Nuttal Early Music Prize (RAM, 2007), other recent performances have included a concert at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival and the Neresheim Festival, Germany.  Forthcoming events include participation in the Australian Classical Era Orchestra (Australia), The Brighton Early Music Festival and a four-harpsichord concerto extravaganza at the Royal Academy in 2008. 

 

The 1607 Ensemble

Greg Skidmore                        bass baritone

Robin Burlton                        tenor

Emily Atkinson                        soprano

Andrew Pickett                        alto

 

Originally formed when two of its members were studying at the Royal College of Music, the 1607 Ensemble has a unique mission: to combine virtuosic repertoire from the late Renaissance and early Baroque with late 20th and early 21st century vocal jazz and to perform these contrasting genres to the same high, professional standard. The group is made up of individuals who specialise in both these fields. They draw their inspiration from groups such as The Real Group, Take 6, Manhattan Transfer, and the New York Voices just as much as more mainstream Early Music groups such as The Consort of Musicke, I Fagiolini, or Le Poème Harmonique. While there have been some attempts to combine early music a cappella singing with jazz-inspired elements – some very successful – there is currently no ensemble in the world which consistently combines both these styles to a high standard and the 1607 Ensemble hopes that by cultivating both these techniques, the skills perfected in one genre can be used in the other.

 

In this respect, they are perhaps today’s vocal equivalent of the American jazz group The Modern Jazz Quartet, a main proponent of the “third stream” genre “about half way between jazz and classical music.” For this reason, the 1607 Ensemble doesn’t perform “Light music” or “Close harmony” as they believe vocal jazz can be every bit as powerful, moving, and emotionally profound as the most plangent Monteverdi madrigal and that it is not merely “after-dinner entertainment”. They still know how to have fun, however, and the virtuosity and energy with which they approach their varied repertoire allows them to combine a technically sound and artistic musical product with the vigour, imagination, and sense of style you might expect from less classically trained musicians.

 

To date, The 1607 Ensemble has performed music ranging from early organum to medieval masses and motets to Byrd and Tallis as well as Real Group and Manhattan Transfer arrangements of jazz standards. They are active in promoting new arranging talent as well. The fact that three members of the group grew up in North America, and therefore learned music outside of the established English channels, adds to their ability to present a fresh approach. While their members are mainly employed in mainstream classical music, performing with groups such as the Gabrieli Consort, Tenebrae, and Ex Cathedra as well as frequently undertaking opera and oratorio roles, they are all equally versed in jazz music and have performed both as soloists and in groups for many years. They view The 1607 Ensemble as their only opportunity to truly unite their two passions: early music and vocal jazz.

 

Triologue

 

Karin Bjork                        violin

Kinga Gaborjani-Szabo                        gamba

Pawel Siwczak                        harpsichord

 

Three musicians, three countries, three personalities,

three instruments, three languages…

one ensemble!

 

A concert four centuries ago was a social event, gathering people of high social status,

often taking place in a private mansion.

 

Now, when access to music is so easy and everyone can listen to music whenever they

want, we are trying to recreate that special atmosphere of the musical soiree in which

music served as a mean of transcending the bounds of social relations and providing entertainment.

 

Music, however, was more than entertainment. It was the natural way of expression,

the spirit of the people. It appealed to their mind and senses making them laugh,

cry, dance and love.

 

Coming from Sweden, Hungary and Poland, Karin, Kinga and Pawel hope to bring the

spirit of old music to life to contemporary audiences. They are using period instruments

that are either original or replicas. During their studies at the Royal Academy of Music

they benefited form coaching by such artists as Richard Campbell, Laurence Cummings,

Liz Kenny, Jennifer Ward Clarke and Nicolette Moonen.

 

In May 2007 Triologue were awarded the prestigious Nancy Nuttall Early Music Prize.

They play together exploring the magic of communication through the musical dialogue,

or rather a Triologue.

 

Sensus

Rachael Hatton                        recorder

Chris Hartland                        recorder

Emily Bloom (Hughes)                        recorder

Emily Baines                        recorder

 

During her Postgraduate year at the Royal Academy of Music, Rachael founded the recorder consort ‘Sensus’.  The ensemble involves four of the top new Recorder talent from three of the most prestigious music colleges in London, the Royal Academy of Music, Guildhall School of Music and Drama and Trinity College of Music.

 

Their aim as a group is not only to raise the profile of the Recorder, but also to collaborate with other musical genres through live music events and the commissioning of new works.

 

The group are currently in discussions with The London Recorder Centre and hope soon to have sponsorship in the shape of a consort of instruments.

 

Treblemakers (in some places referred to by their old name Leger de main)

Ferdia Stone-Davis                        recorder

Rachael Hatton                        recorder

 

Rachael and Férdia met whilst studying in the Early Music Faculty of Trinity College of Music, London. They played together in the college’s Ella Kidney Early Music Competition in 2006, receiving a ‘Highly Commended’, and were invited to play at the Prizewinners’ concert at the Greenwich International Festival and Exhibition of Early Music in the same year. Rachael and Férdia now perform professionally in Britain and Europe both as soloists and within ensembles and have recently been accepted to present a Fringe Concert at the Festival Oude Muziek Utrecht in August 2007.

 

The WATU

Tomasz Pokrzywinski                        cello / bass guitar / sound engineer

Maria Roma Klatka                        voice

Cassius Maganga                        voice / drums

Pontus Rubin                        guitar

 

The idea for the ensemble arose in December 2005 in Gambia, where Tomasz and Cassius were making music and learning together during the Course in West-African Music and Culture. Both were students at the Guildhall School of Music and Drama, but coming from completely different musical backgrounds (Tomasz – baroque cellist and sound engineer from Poland, Cassius – Tanzanian singer and drummer specializing in traditional East-African music) they were interested in sharing their musical ideas, learning from each other and creating something new and beautiful. Immediately after coming back to London they started experimenting with different musicians and genres, but it took a year to find the team that really ‘clicked’.

 

Since December 2006 The WATU has crystalised into : Maria Roma Klatka (voice - Poland), Pontus Rubin (guitars - Sweden), Cassius Maganga (voice, African drums - Tanzania) and Tomasz Pokrzywinski (bass guitar, cello - Poland). It is an unusual mixture of sounds from three different countries and two different Continents. Additionally each member of the band comes from a completely different musical background which makes the mixture even more explosive.

 

The main elements in The Watu’s music are African and European folk, jazz and Western classical music. Surprisingly they understand each other very well and since the formation of the band (March 2006) they have continued developing a common language, something  they find really exciting. Supported by the Guildhall School they recorded their first album in May 2007 (they hope to release this shortly). After a series of informal performances and successful concerts at The Oh!Bar and The Spitz in London, they are looking for a manager and professional performance opportunities.

 

Adam Waldmann (saxophone)

Having studied under the likes of Julian Arguelles, Don Braden, Russell Van Den Berg, Yuri Honig and Barak School, saxophonist and composer Adam Waldmann is forging a personal voice for himself amongst some of the Uk's most promising up and coming talent. A graduate of Trinity College of Music in 2006, recieiving the award for "Outstanding Student" from
the Jazz Faculty, Adam has worked with some of the most notable names in Jazz. These include Clark Tracey, Steve Davis (Chick Corea/Avishai Cohen Bands), David Berkman, Mark Lockheart (Polar Bear/Perfect Houseplants), Anders Christensen (Paul Motian Band), and various members of the Fire and Loop Collectives.

 

As a band leader and sideman he has have been lucky enough to be asked to perform on top platforms such as Brecon Jazz Festival, The Vortex, Cheltenham Jazz Festival, Manchester Jazz Festival, The Jazz Cafe, Cargo, The Spitz, Ronnie Scotts and Blackheath Concert Halls. Adam has taught on the internationally renowned Glamorgan Jazz Summer School,
assisted in the Mbawula South African Music workshops programme and has produced music for film and radio including the improvised score to BBC Radio 3's classic serial "Passing". He counts Wayne Shorter, Herbie Hancock, Joni Mitchell, Dave Holland, Julian Arguelles, Stevie Wonder, Seamus Blake, Keith Jarrett and Avishai Cohen to be amongst his influences.
 
"One of the most promising saxophonists of his generation" Simon Purcell, noted pianist and jazz educator.

 

"Adam is a beautiful sax player with a strong identity and fantastic ideas. As a soprano player particularly, he's one of very few musicians who have developed an exciting, personal sound and concept" Mark Lockheart (Polar Bear)

 

"Some of Britain's finest young jazz musicians bring you a heady mix of exciting contemporary jazz originals alongside well thumbed standards... OCAS went last week and were blown away; highly, highly recommended."
Oxford Contemporary Arts Society


"The Adam Waldmann Group brought the East Festival to an end (Sunday, 4) with a winning mixture of jazz classics  (written by the likes of Joe Henderson and Keith Jarrett), originals and popular material by Paul Simon, the Police et al. Waldmann himself has a pure, keening sound on soprano and a plaintive, gently warbling approach to the tenor  that sometimes calls Charles Lloyd to mind; it is refreshing to hear someone carefully sculpt a tenor solo, paying
 scrupulous attention to dynamic and timbral subtleties, rather than imitating a bull running at a gate, so Waldmann’s  club debut was a great success ..... and the support he received from vibesman Jim Hart was exemplary, as was the band’s interaction with Waldmann’s regular associate, drummer Tim Sampson." The Vortex Jazz Club

 

Joe Erber (piano)