The Medieval Manuscript the 'Chronicles of Mann and Sudreys' mentions various locations, including the Isle of Man, Wales, Scotland, Ireland and even places as far away as Norway and Brittany.
Russell Gilmour (trumpet) and David Kilgallon (organ) use melodies from these countries and they merge and fuse these ideas together with their own to create unique compositions for trumpet and organ. The idea behind their musical collaboration is to explore traditional music from these countries and to adapt the music, interpret it and explore it. Chronicles' musical format is slightly unusual in that it combines trumpet and organ - not the instruments you may initially associate with folk music - but it is an approach that has sparked a lot of interest.
Their limited edition EP "Prologue" is a sample of things to come, as the production of a full album is underway. The full album will be Chronicles' musical impression of the Isle of Man's influences and rich history - as documented in the Chronicles of Mann.
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writing on music, photography, travel and life as a freelance professional musician.
Mozart - Ascanio in Alba - Les Talens Lyriques - Théâtre des Champs-Élysées & Opéra de Lausanne
%PM, %Europe/London %b %2026, %RFollowing on from our performance at the Theater an der Wien earlier this month, we revisited Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart’s Ascanio in Alba (K. 111) for two further performances and a recording with Les Talens Lyriques under the direction of Christophe Rousset.Our recording took place at La Seine Musicale in Paris, and it was flanked by performances at the Théâtre des Champs-Élysées in Paris on 25
Purcell - Fairy Queen - OAEducation - King’s Lynn
%PM, %Europe/London %b %2025, %RI played first trumpet with the Orchestra of the Age of Enlightenment (OAEducation) for an education outreach project on Tuesday 21 October 2025 at the Corn Exchange in King’s Lynn. The project featured music from The Fairy Queen by Henry Purcell with additional music composed by James Redwood, who was also an engaging animateur and leader. The project brought together the Orchestra of the Age
Purcell - Fairy Queen - OAEducation
%PM, %Europe/London %b %2023, %RI played in an education project with the Orchestra of the Age of Enlightenment (OAE) which was based on Purcell’s Fairy Queen. This community opera, called The Fairy Queen: Three Wishes featured music by the composer and animateur James Redwood with lyrics by Hazel Gould. The performance took place at Northgate High School in Ipswich on Wednesday 22 November 2023 and it featured students from Northgate
Schütz & Praetorius - Gabrieli Consort & Players - Westminster Cathedral
%PM, %Europe/London %b %2023, %RI played natural trumpet and cornetto with the Gabrieli Consort & Players, directed by Paul McCreesh, in a performance at Westminster Cathedral which took place on Tuesday 10th January 2023.The performance at Westminster Cathedral was the last in a run of eight concerts; I was deputising for this performance only, and the other members of the ensemble had performed in the cathedrals or minsters
Brandenburg Sinfonia - Education Project - Thaxted Festival
%PM, %Europe/London %b %2019, %RI came back from Snape Maltings with two deviations from my normal route. The first was a stopover at the Lodge to continue to learn to make trumpets (I began making my first trumpet bell yesterday) with David Staff.
After staying at the Lodge, the next waypoint on my route home was a village near Thaxted in the Essex countryside - where I performed, on Thursday 20th June 2019, with the Brandenburg
OAEducation - Merton & Wandsworth
%PM, %Europe/London %b %2019, %RFollowing the OAEducation's workshops and performances in Plymouth last week, the group gave two consecutive performances in two different Boroughs of London (Merton and Wandsworth) on Thursday 9th of May 2019.
The story included many young performers from Cricket Green School in Merton (next to the picturesque 18th-century Mitcham Sunday and National School, as pictured above) and Greenmead
OAEducation - Durham
%PM, %Europe/London %b %2019, %RThe Orchestra of the Age of Enlightenment (OAEducation) gave two performances on Wednesday 30th of January 2019 in two schools in County Durham.The project followed on from a similar one that took place in London in November 2018. Like the November project, it catered for young musicians including those with Special Educational Needs (SEN). Again, Purcell's Fairy Queen was the focus of these educational
OAEducation - Glyndebourne Community Opera - ‘Agreed’
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OAEducation - Camden
%PM, %Europe/London %b %2018, %RI performed with the Orchestra of the Age of Enlightenment (OAEducation) at the Amadeus Centre near Warwick Avenue in London on Wednesday 28th of November 2018.
The project featured participants from Gospel Oak, Rhyl and Swiss Cottage primary schools in Camden and it catered for (and I must say, enthralled) these young musicians including those with Special Educational Needs (SEN).
This was a
The Fairy Queen - Orchestra of the Age of Enlightenment - King’s Lynn & Great Massingham
%PM, %Europe/London %b %2018, %RI performed with the Orchestra of the Age of Enlightenment (OAEducation) as part of their residency in King’s Lynn in the week beginning on Monday 18th of June 2018.
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The Fairy Queen - Orchestra of the Age of Enlightenment - London
%AM, %Europe/London %b %2018, %RI performed in an educational concert with the Orchestra of the Age of Enlightenment on Wednesday 6th June 2018 at Conway Hall in London. The project was based around Purcell’s Fairy Queen and it featured music composed by James Redwood. The additional music had been specially composed to allow for musical interaction with the Key Stage 2 students. The students sang and played instruments with the
OAEducation - Music is Special
%PM, %Europe/London %b %2016, %RThe Orchestra of the Age of Enlightenment joined forces with Camden Music to put on an educational project called 'Music is Special' at Cecil Sharp House on Monday 21st of November 2016. This innovative project integrated students from two special needs schools and two mainstream schools with the period-instrument players of the Orchestra of the Age of Enlightenment. Composer and animateur, Sam Chaplin
King's Lynn - Orchestra of the Age of Enlightenment - 'Water Cycle'
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