Suzanne Wilson, Carys Lane, Rebecca Outram, soprano Jane Downer artistic director/baroque oboe/recorder Christine Garratt, Rachel Moss baroque flute/recorder Hazel Brooks, Caroline Balding, Theresa Caudle, Jane Norman, Julia Black, Elizabeth Hodson baroque violin Imogen Seth Smith baroque cello/gamba Gabriel Amherst, Anna Holmes, Gareth Deats baroque cello Kah Ming Ng organ/harpsichord

Named after St Frideswide, Saxon princess and patron saint of Oxford, the Frideswide Ensemble performs carefully researched programmes which place an emphasis on rarely-heard works, spanning a repertoire from solo sonatas to large-scale cantatas. Chamber programmes include sacred music for Easter, virtuoso sonatas after the Italian style, and seasonal cantatas and noels for Advent and Christmas. Associated in particular with Oxford and its surrounding areas, Frideswide has worked with the Choir of Christ Church Cathedral, City of Oxford Choir and given a concert in aid of the Oxfordshire Historic Churches Trust. Members of the Ensemble have held workshops for children and organized an Educational and Concert Tour of the Channel Islands. As an orchestra, Frideswide appears with the Bristol Bach Choir and Aylesbury Choral Society performing works such as Mozart’s Great Mass in C minor and the St John Passion and Christmas Oratorio by JS Bach.

Sample Programme:

Saint Sebastian: A programme of works devoted to JS Bach, including unaccompanied cello suites, sonatas and partitas for solo violin; Cantatas (BWV84), Sonatas from the Organ Trios (BWV525, BWV529), and works with obbligato keyboard (BWV1030b)

Education:

Airs & Brunettes - Art songs and traditional melodies from England, Ireland, Scotland and France: In the light of period performance practice, distinctive baroque compositional structures are discussed with reference to simple popular songs and the more formalised arias of the high baroque period. Constructions demonstrated include ornamentation, ground bass, variation and imitative techniques (modified as required for both primary and secondary levels).

Recordings:

Professionally recorded CDs of concerts available on request.

Performances:

18 Nov 06 Clifton Cathedral, Bristol
9 Dec 06 St Mary’s Church, Aylesbury
24 Mar 07 St Mary’s Church, Aylesbury

Contact:

Jane Downer, 10 Rochester Place, Charlbury, Chipping Norton

Oxford OX7 3SF

Tel: 01608 811397

Email: janeysbach@yahoo.com.au