I played first trumpet in Handel’s ‘Eternal Source of Light Divine’ as part of a performance entitled ‘Music to her Majestie’ with Spiritato, directed by the lutenist Elizabeth Kenny, at St Giles Cripplegate in London on Sunday 10 September 2023. The programme featured Purcell’s From Hardy Climes, Eccles’ Inspire us Genius—a modern (and perhaps an overall) premiere—and Handel’s

I performed the Inspiring Bach programme with Spiritato and the vocal ensemble, The Marian Consort, at the Wiltshire Music Centre in Bradford-on-Avon on Saturday 29th October 2022. I led the section of four natural trumpet players (Russell Gilmour, Katie Hodges, Gareth Hoddinott and William Russell). We played natural trumpets without finger holes, with Keith Price on timpani. Once again

Spiritato and the Marian Consort collaborated once again to perform the inventive programme entitled Inspiring Bach on Saturday 22nd October 2022. We performed at St Martin’s Church in Brighton to a large and very receptive audience. Great cheers followed the rousing final work of the programme, Johann Christoph Bach’s Es erhub sich ein Streit. Will Russell, the organiser of the Inspiring Bach

It has already been an extraordinary week, both in British life and also in my own experience. A great amount has already been written about Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II’s incredible life and astonishing service. I cannot meaningfully add anything to these fitting tributes, other than to mention my own admiration for her exceptional service and great humility. Coincidentally, I have been tantalisingly

A small number of ensembles in the UK have begun to experiment with using natural trumpets [i.e. without finger holes], although it is still relatively uncommon. It was great to take part in a project that offered enough rehearsal time to develop and explore playing without holes in an ensemble setting; playing some of the repertoire that is thought to have inspired Johann Sebastian Bach. The project,

When I was researching music to include in the book I am writing and refining at the moment (about the natural trumpet), I kept finding myself on Uppsala University’s website browsing the the database of digitised manuscript images from the Düben collection. The Düben collection is an extensive collection of musical manuscripts from throughout Europe. It was compiled in Stockholm by members of

On the 11th March 2020 I performed Israel in Egypt, in York Minster. I remember winding down in the nearby Guy Fawkes Inn with the trumpet, trombone and timpani players, and somebody commented that ‘it might be our last gig for a while’. I had not realised the implications and the severity of the unfolding pandemic. Even though handshakes and hugs had been off the agenda for a week or two, by that

Spiritato’s Sound the Trumpet programme made an excellent impression with the audience at Holy Trinity Church in Claygate in Surrey on Saturday 12th January 2019. This early evening concert was promoted by the Oxshott & Cobham Music Society and included works by Purcell, Corbett, Rebel, Fantini, Legrenzi, Albrici, Matteis and Franceschini. Almost time to Sound the Trumpet with @Spiritato #soundthetrumpet

Spiritato gave a performance of their ‘Guts & Glory’ programme at the Wiltshire Music Centre in Bradford on Avon on Saturday 21st of October 2017. They gave a brilliant performance of this programme (which was preceded by a thought-provoking pre-concert talk) and they suitably impressed the enthusiastic and inquisitive audience. This marked the fifth and final performance (as it

I performed the 'Sound the Trumpet' programme with ‘Spiritato’ at the Chichester Assembly Room on Thursday the 16th of February 2017. The evening included works by Purcell, Corbett, Rebel, Fantini, Legrenzi, Albrici, Matheis and Franceschini. Rehearsing Albrici in #chichester ahead of our Sound the Trumpet concert tonight! pic.twitter.com/KW9oOgb3ok — Spiritato! (@Spiritato) February 16,

On Thursday 9th of March 2017, I was involved in delivering a Historically Informed Performance Class at the Royal Academy of Music in London. Four members of the period-instrument ensemble ‘Spiritato!’ talked about their recent ‘Guts & Glory’ project - which involved discussing many of the key aspects of being a Historically Informed performer. The class focused on the pros and cons of

Spiritato’s final 2016 performance of their ‘Guts & Glory’ programme opened the York Early Music Winter Festival on Thursday 8th of December 2016 at St. Margaret’s Church in York - home of the National Centre for Early Music (NCEM). The ensemble was led by the wonderful violinist Kinga Ujszaszi. The fun Guts and Glory project finished for 2016 in York last night. Thank you guys for all

I performed Handel’s ‘Messiah’ at St. Gabriel’s Church in Pimlico on Tuesday 6th of December 2016. The orchestra ‘Spiritato!’ and the Schola Cantorum of the Cardinal Vaughan Memorial School was conducted by Scott Price, Director of Music of the Cardinal Vaughan Memorial School. Photography by Weenson Oo The boys of the Schola Cantorum sang all of the arias, recitatives and

Spiritato's tour of the 'Guts & Glory' programme continued on Friday 11th November 2016 at St. George’s Kemp Town, in Brighton. The performance was part of the Brighton Early Music Festival 2016.Brighton Early Music Festival had chosen the theme of ‘Nature & Science’ for their 2016 festival, exploring observation, discovery, invention and creation. In the spirit of innovation, Spiritato

St. George’s in Bristol was the venue for the most recent performance of Spiritato’s 'Guts and Glory' programme. Click here to read an older post about this programme. The concert took place on the 9th of November 2016 in this magnificent venue in the vibrant city of Bristol. Spiritato performed the programme with vigour and assurance, informing and delighting the audience along the way.

Last week saw the realisation of Spiritato’s innovative ‘Guts and Glory’ project. Exploring ‘equal tension’ strings and using natural trumpets without finger holes, the group devised and delivered a programme of 17th Century music by Biber, Schmelzer, Vejvanovsky and Bertali. The project began with an open rehearsal and discussion event on Friday 8th April 2016 in which Spiritato welcomed

‘Spiritato!’ performed a family-orientated programme as part of the ‘Hackney Proms’ at Stoke Newington Town Hall on at 13:15 on Sunday 22nd November 2015. The programme was entitled ‘Gulliver’s Travels: A voyage to Lilliput’. The programme consisted of many short movements that fitted around a script - which was excitingly narrated by Will Russell (dressed as Gulliver). The lively narration

Playing with ‘Spiritato!’ is becoming synonymous with performing innovative programmes in interesting settings. I participated in a project which involved two performances, the first of which was on October 20th in St. John’s Smith Square in London and the second was on November 1st at Bury Court Barn, in Bentley near Farnham in Surrey. The performances were presented by St. John’s Smith Square

On Wednesday 30th of September I performed with 'Spiritato!' in their lunchtime concert at the Wiltshire Music Centre, Bradford-on-Avon. The concert, entitled 'Sound the Trumpet', included music by Purcell, Corbett, Matteis, Albrici and Francescini. It explored the links between English and Italian styles. We had performed similar programmes to this earlier this year at the Forge in Camden and

Spiritato! gave a concert of a programme entitled ‘Sound the Trumpet’ on Friday 26th of June. The performance was part of the Stroud Green Festival in London which took place in Holy Trinity Church in Stroud Green. The programme itself included works by Purcell, Corbett, Fantini, Rebel, Matteis, Albrici and Franceschini. We had performed a similar programme to this earlier in the year at the Forge