Sounds: Gabrieli Consort Winter Mix

Former Associate Artists Gabrieli Consort are back with us in Spitalfields this winter bringing some seasonal cheer. At Shoreditch Church they will be performing one of Benjamin Britten’s earlier masterpieces, A Boy Was Born (written while on a ship journey back from the USA). Alongside this is a selection of medieval and 20th-century carols guaranteed to warm you up for a cold December evening.

Now, as a Friday treat, we’ve put together a Spotify playlist featuring the repertoire from the concert. Think of it as an early Christmas present.

Intern Diaries: Community choirs, Christmas songs & back to school

Two months have passed since my last post and I’m now just over half way through my internship. The L&P calendar for Spring 2012 is super busy, full of really interesting and enjoyable projects.  I was recently at a session in Osmani Primary School with a Year 3 class and they were starting work on a joint project with the Royal Academy of Music. I’m enjoying the variety of work that I’m experiencing as part of my internship and all the lovely people I’m getting to meet!

Neighbourhood Songs at the Spitalfields Music Winter Festival 2011

Recruitment has started once again for the two community singing groups, Spitalfields Singers and Women sing East.  I’m really looking forward to working with both these choirs again and will be very sad to say goodbye to them at the end of this term!  The Women Sing East concert in our Winter Festival was a definite highlight for me.  With the support of Clare I was project managing this concert.  As a musician I have played in many concerts, but this was the first time that I had been on the other side – managing the musicians! The concert was a huge success – the choir sounded absolutely fantastic and Laka sang a wonderful arrangement of the ‘Christmas Song’ to get us all in the Christmas spirit.  This was a truly magical concert – my face muscles ached from smiling so much!

Kathryn Allnutt                                                                                                    Learning and Participation Intern

Staff Pick: Yoolis

This winter I’ll be getting my Festive fix from Jogleresa, with their marvellously medieval programme of traditional English music. Think jousting, dancing, carolling and period instruments! What more could you want?!

The group, directed by Belinda Sykes have been performing their mix of ancient and traditional music since 1992 combining elements of Medieval, Middle Eastern, Flamenco and Celtic sounds. Their Winter Festival programme includes English, Spanish and Italian carols from the twelfth century to the sixteenth. Originally these carols (made up of song and dance) would have been rooted in pagan traditions and had no religious connections but, as most carolling was done on religious feast days the church gradually stifled the carol until nothing was left other than a religious song to be performed. What I love about Jogleresa is the way they embody the boldness and raw sounds of the original carols whilst mixing in hints of their multicultural backgrounds creating a unique and exhilarating sound!

Rebecca Steel
Communications Manager

Have a listen to some of Jogleresa’s tracks on this Spotify Playlist

Yoolis
Monday 19 December 7.00pm
Shoreditch Church
Tickets: £5 – £15
www.spitalfieldsmusic.org.uk/yoolis

Staff Pick: Christmas Market

With the Winter Festival starting in under 24 hours(!), our Development Administrator, Camille De Groote, shares why she thinks our opening event is not to be missed.

We are now well into December and as we all know, in London, I feel even more than anywhere else, there is absolutely no chance of escaping the Christmas madness that takes over the city – reindeer petting, fun (and slightly dangerous) ice skating, crazy shopping sprees, and much, much more …  For some, it’s a bit too much. For others (like me and I know at least one of my dear colleagues), it’s the best time of the year! So I will go around quite a few Christmas markets, but the one I look forward to the most, is our very own in Spitalfields!

Spitalfields Music’s Christmas Market will feature a gospel choir, a string quartet, a brass band and a magical puppetry group, and excerpts from the acclaimed Homeless Oratorio so it is fair to say that it is going to be one of a kind! Taking place in Crispin Place (part of Spitalfields Market), the market is free for all to enjoy. We will be raising funds for Crisis, a national charity for single homeless people, based just around the corner from Spitalfields, which does incredible work in the local community.

I am particularly looking forward to the performance by the Crisis puppetry group. I recently joined them for a rehearsal and I was mesmerised by the striking life-like characters of the puppets (which are handmade at Crisis!) and the touching acting of the puppeteers.

Come and join us for the festive launch of the festival. I promise, the groups performing will leave you with plenty of warmth to get you through the cold days!

The Christmas Market is from 12-4pm tomorrow, Saturday 10 December, in St Crispin’s Place, Spitalfields E1 Market.

P.S. don’t miss the Water Poet’s Christmas Fayre on Folgate Street after the Christmas Market closes!

We’ve got mail from Brighton

Joglaresa will be performing eclectic medieval music at the Winter Festival this year. Having taken part in the Brighton Early Music Festival, they will begin their ‘On Yoolis Night’ tour very soon! They sent us a postcard from ‘sunny’ Brighton:

Joglaresa’s postcard from Brighton

Dear Spitalfields Music,

Well we’ve had a wonderful time down at the Brighton Early Music Festival (BREMF) this year.  With singing medieval slave girls, belly dancers and the wonderful Brighton Community Choir taking part, the night was never going to be anything but exhilarating! Despite a bit of rain the audience came out in force, even singing and dancing along with us, it was absolutely amazing.

Only 4 weeks to go now until we begin our On Yoolis Night tour, eek!  Really looking forward to coming back to see you all again on Dec. 19th, we’ll be sure to keep you updated with all things Christmassy through Twitter @_Joglaresa
Hope you’re having a wonderful time with the preparations for your Winter Festival!

See you soon,
Joglaresa

We’ve compiled a Joglaresa playlist on Spotify for you to sample some delectable traditional English music from the 12th-15th Century. Joglaresa will be performing at the Winter Festival on Monday 19 December from 7pm to 8pm. For more details, head over to our website. Tickets £5-£15.