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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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 High School playing with the OAE and singers—sprites of the forest, naturally—from St Mary’s Primary School. A community choir of adults and professional singers working with the OAE, namely, Jenni Harper (soprano), Ruth Kiang (alto), Sidharth Imanol (tenor) and Stuart Young (bass), also joined the ensemble, and the vocal soloists Kirsty Hopkins (soprano), Simone Ibbett-Brown (soprano), Tim Dickinson (bass) and Ben Abell (narrator) took centre stage. It was a wonderful event; James’ and Hazel’s music and lyrics brought all the manifold elements of this project together in a through-composed nature. It was also great to play Purcell’s music, directed by Rob Howarth, in this dynamic and engaging setting. Special thanks must go to Cherry Forbes, the OAE’s education specialist, for the tireless efforts of her and her small team, as well as to the staff and students of Northgate High School who welcomed us so warmly.
Education Outreach, Modern Trumpet, Natural Trumpet, OAEducation, Purcell