Baroque Orchestra

We are delighted to welcome back Theresa Caudle (violin), Mark Caudle (cello) and Claire Williams (harpsichord) for another baroque orchestra course.

The title for 2026 is Music Restor’d: British Music after the Restoration.

Repertoire explored will include a wide range of 17th and 18th century musicfor strings, including theatre music by Purcell, Blow and Paisible, and concertos by Geminiani, Avison and Mudge.

We will be working at A=415 and the course is open to participants on period instruments (we will accept modern set-up stringed instruments with gut strings and baroque bows). We can accept twelve violinists, four viola players, six cellists and one double bassist, plus two harpsichordists and one theorbo player in the continuo team. Players must be of advanced standard, confident sight-readers, and willing to rehearse in some detail. For string players, some experience of playing baroque music on period instruments is preferable but not essential. Harpsichordists and theorbo players should be confident reading from figured bass.

There will be some solo opportunities in the concerti grossi.

We will explore:

• Repertoire from around Europe (to be announced)
• Articulation and phrasing
• Ornamentation
• Rhetoric - in terms of understanding the structure and how to deliver in performance
• Tempo, rhythm and pulse
• Recognising the character of different movements and learning how to make technical choices to bring it out effectively
• Working with non-equal temperament tuning
• Continuo skills

By the end of this course, you will have discovered new repertoire and learnt to play more communicatively and expressively thanks to your growing assimilation of baroque performance practice. 

The course will centre around tutti rehearsals led by all three tutors.

Ability: Confident, Skilful

Technically demanding music will be provided a few weeks before the course, this applies particularly to any solo or continuo parts.

We are playing at A=415 so please bring your baroque instrument, or if you don’t have one then please use gut strings on your modern instrument and a baroque bow.  Don’t forget your spare strings.

Familiarisation of the music before the course is encouraged, but not compulsory.