During the Renaissance musical composition flourished, but it was a time of great change, fuelled by religious division. This programme traces music written by some of the English Renaissance masters over a period of 200 years, encompassing florid medieval-sounding pieces by Pygott and Cornysh, intricately woven polyphonic works by Tallis and Byrd, and the beautiful simplicity of Mundy and Tomkins.

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The Gesualdo Six

Wigmore Hall

From the roots of choral singing to the flowering of a tradition. Embark on a captivating vocal journey with The Gesualdo Six as the singers curate a collection of exquisite vocal consort pieces. Experience lyrical Renaissance works celebrating nature and love by Byrd and Gibbons. Discover how contemporary composers breathe life into verses by Christina Rossetti and Kathleen Jamie. Immerse yourself in skilful re-imaginings of traditional British folk songs that beautifully tie the sequence together.

The Estonian composer Arvo Pärt acts as a pivot within music history. On the one hand, he is one of the most successful composers of so-called New Music, even though he quickly distanced himself aesthetically from the experiments of the post-war avant-garde. On the other hand, medieval Gregorian chant – "music with soul, without harmony or meter," as he once said – served as his greatest source of inspiration. In this respect, it seems only logical that the celebrated British choir Tenebrae has now designed a program that presents Pärt's music in the context of composers from the Middle Ages and the present.

Darkness / George Herbert / Nigel Short

Elbphilharmonie Hamburg

The Grammy-nominated VOCES8 is the world’s top-streaming classical vocal group. Touring extensively, the group performs repertoire from Renaissance polyphony to contemporary commissions and arrangements; versatility and a celebration of diverse musical expression is central to the ensemble’s performance ethos. In their first Berwaldhallen appearance they will bring their exquisite harmonies from several musical genres and. The Swedish Radio Choir joins for some real choral classics!

VOCES8 feat. Radio Choir

SR Berwaldhallen

6th Chamber Concert: Polyphony from Five Centuries

Allerheiligen Hofkirche

After Spain ( in the second chamber music matinee of the season ) and Poland ( in the fourth chamber music matinee of the season ), the fifth chamber music matinee takes a detour to England. Right in the middle of the action: violinist Catherine Myerscough, a native of London and a member of the NDR Radio Philharmonic since 2018. Together with three colleagues, she spans the Elizabethan era through early modern times to the present day. British music history is more colorful than you might think!

English. Chamber music from Orlando Gibbons to William Walton

NDR Concert Hall | Small Broadcasting Hall

Together with the NDR Vokalensemble and hundreds of guest singers, the award-winning choir conductor Simon Halsey will bring the Great Hall of the Elbphilharmonie to life on March 18th.

SINGING! 2025: Rutter in Context

A legendary figure in the establishment and development of the Early Music movement, Jordi Savall has contributed as much as any individual to the current popularity of works from the distant past. He brings with him the ensemble he founded 50 years ago, and which retains the sheer vitality and explorative excellence that has marked his entire career. The programme celebrates a tradition of consort music that lasted for two centuries and traversed many countries – with English composers notable for their prominence.

Jordi Savall director, treble viol; Hespèrion XXI Book now

Jordi Savall director, treble viol; Hespèrion XXI

Ahead of two performances at Wigmore Hall, one of the most exceptional figures in today’s music world, Jordi Savall, with Hesperion XXI the ensemble he founded 50 years ago, brings Irish audiences a rousing programme of Fantasies, Battles and Dances. The programme performed by these captivating artists celebrates the golden age of European Consort Music that lasted for two centuries and traversed many countries – with English composers notable for their prominence. Passion and creativity with world-class scholarship guaranteed!

Jordi Savall & Hesperion XXI - Wigmore Series Dublin

Royal Irish Academy of Music

SFCM welcomes Opus 3 Artist and GRAMMY-winning vocal ensemble Chanticleer for its first official artistic collaboration with SFCM's Conservatory Chorus, under the direction of Eric Choate. Chanticleer’s repertoire is rooted in the Renaissance, and has continued to expand to include a wide range of classical, gospel, jazz, popular music, and a deep commitment to the commissioning of new compositions and arrangements.

Conservatory Chorus Concert with Chanticleer

San Francisco Conservatory of Music

Shakespeare echoes through this diverse programme from one of the country’s leading chamber choirs, winner of Best Ensemble of the Year at the 2018 Opus Klassik Awards.

ORA Singers

Breaking down the barriers between meditative church music and theatre music, this rich programme features sumptuous symphony anthems, including the vivid Like as the hart by Pelham Humfrey, who remains little known owing to his untimely death in his mid twenties. Charles II liked to use his violin band even in chapel, creating a special blend of intense spiritual anguish punctuated by cheerful instrumental moments

Resounding Shores: Chamber and Chapel

Royal Academy of Music

'In the night, I sometimes dream of running through long grass or sandy beaches. I awake to remember that having had MS for 25 years, running now only takes place in my imagination. My new piece Dreams and Visions explores what it is to dream. Ideas flow from one to the next, like little vignettes of actual dreams. Musicians move throughout the hall, immersing the audience in an atmosphere inspired by different dreams and visions spanning 900 years.' - Alexander Campkin

Fretwork; Tenebrae

This concert unfolds as a heartfelt tribute through the intimate language of chamber music, featuring Bach’s reflective early cantata, selections by VOCES8 spanning several centuries, and Beethoven’s “Archduke” Trio, a musical note of gratitude to his most devoted patron. This concert embodies a journey of thankfulness, from Baroque introspection to Classical exuberance, celebrating the enduring human spirit of appreciation and connection.

Gratitude

Conrad Prebys Performing Arts Center

Join us for the final of the Philip Carne Chamber Music Competition, celebrating the incredible wealth of chamber music that happens at Trinity Laban.

The Philip Carne Chamber Music Competition Final

Conway Hall

Mahan Esfahani is a genius harpsichordist and an irresistible advocate for the music he performs. In his anticipated return, he presents a thoughtful tribute to the music—and musical devotees—of 17th- and 18th-century London. He begins with one of Handel’s “eight great suites,” followed by selected works by composer and Westminster Abbey organist Orlando Gibbons. Though written by an Italian composer in the service of the kings of Portugal and Spain, the Scarlatti sonatas also found their first advocates among London’s music enthusiasts. The program closes with the final so-called “English” keyboard suite composed by a young J. S. Bach.

Mahan Esfahani, Harpsichord

Carnegie Hall

Repertory Singers and Treble Chorus

University of Rochester

The Renaissance saw increasing freedom and development in music, with more variety in range, rhythm, notation, form and harmony than ever before. Music became a vehicle for personal expression, with composers finding ways to make vocal music ever more expressive. This program charts some of the most prolific and influential European composers of the age, with a reflection on their legacy through the response of contemporary composers.

Voces8

Kaufman Music Center

Celebrating their 50th anniversary this season, the peerless Tallis Scholars are at the very height of their powers, winning both the Recording of the Year and the Choral Award in BBC Music Magazine last year, and taking home the 2021 Gramophone Music Award in Early Music. These Berkeley favorites are master performers of sacred Renaissance choral music, and here lend their crystalline clarity and pinpoint precision to an exciting program of works that includes Tallis’ monumental Suscipe quaeso, Byrd’s masterful Tribue domine, and contemporary works by Nico Muhly and Arvo Pärt.

Tallis Scholars

First Congregational Church

Voilà vingt ans que James O'Donnell exerce la charge d'«Organist and Master of the Choristers» – entendez: de directeur de la musique – sous les voûtes de l'une des plus prestigieuses églises d'Angleterre: Westminster Abbey. Deux ans après le titulaire de Notre-Dame de Paris, Olivier Latry, il est convié à la tribune de l'église Saint-Maurice de Saanen pour y faire résonner les plus belles pages de son répertoire, en harmonie bien sûr avec la thématique de l'été. C'est ainsi que l'on se délectera à l'écoute de pages pour orgue des grands maîtres anglais, de Purcell à Vaughan Williams. Une «tradition» serait-elle en train de naître?

Westminster Abbey at Saanen Church – James O'Donnell

Eglise de Saanen

Henry Purcell’s sacred works are paired with ones by his predecessors, offering a rich portrait of church music in transition. Purcell crafted music for Anglican liturgy that, though less elaborate than his symphony anthems, is no less dazzling.

Here The Deities Approve

The award-winning ORA Singers celebrates its 10th anniversary year with a choral highlights programme featuring key works from its first decade. Alongside Renaissance polyphony by Tallis, Byrd, Gibbons, Victoria, Palestrina and others sit 10 contemporary pieces from its ground-breaking 100 commissions catalogue, including the world première of its 100th commission – In Manus Tuas by Brett Dean.

ORA Singers; Suzi Digby OBE conductor

Sir Walter Raleigh’s poem is the inspiration for this anniversary programme featuring the music of two great composers who died within a year of each other: Orlando Gibbons and John Dowland. The infectious joy of Gibbons’ counterpoint is perfectly matched by Dowland’s forthright and eloquent writing of solo ayres and part-songs. Extracts from Dowland’s monumental collection Lachrimae, or Seven Teares complete the programme.

Orlando Gibbons

Events

Upcoming events

Oct 4, 2026

Here The Deities Approve · Royal Academy of Music

Oct 24, 2026

ORA Singers; Suzi Digby OBE conductor · Wigmore Hall

Nov 1, 2026

A Play Of Passion · Royal Academy of Music

Past events

Sep 9, 2026

The Gesualdo Six · Wigmore Hall

Jul 13, 2026

The Gesualdo Six · Wigmore Hall

About

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