This course will explore the early history of the solo Sonata, from the era of Merula and Fontana through to Bach and Handel. Participants will study the arts of melody, accompaniment and the interface between them.
ABILITY: CONFIDENT, SKILFUL
Resident: £402 Non-Resident: £292 (25% off for under 27s) Code: 26/223
Members priority booking opens at 9am on Tuesday 17 June.
General booking opens at 9am on Friday 11 July.
For details on how to become a Member to take advantage of early booking, see here.
This course runs from 5.30pm on Friday 1 May to 4pm on Sunday 3 May 2026.
What is the course about?
This course is aimed at confident players with an existing interest in baroque chamber music. Individual and pre-formed groups are also welcome to apply.
Each participant will be placed in two groups in which they will rehearse contrasting sonatas, which will have been chosen and prepared in advance.
Violinists will hone their melodic skills and ornamentation as well as developing their harmonic understanding.
Cellists and viola da gamba players will work on their articulation, propulsion and tonal variety.
Harpsichordist and lute players will tackle questions of texture, voice-leading and rhythmic impetus.
The participants will be supported by specialist tutors in each area, advising them on instrument set-up and technique, tuning and temperaments as well as stylistic and interpretive choices. Through a combination of guided rehearsals and open classes, participants will benefit above all from working together in close-knit groups, developing a sense of continuo as more than just ‘accompaniment’ and developing techniques to support each other both in rehearsal and on stage.
The course will close with an informal concert, and there will be the chance to play all together in a concerto grosso.
What will we cover?
We will explore some of the most fundamental aspects of baroque sonata playing such as tempo relationships, ornamentation and continuo realisation. There will be a particular focus on the interplay between solo and continuo roles and the development of productive rehearsal processes.
What will we accomplish? By the end of this course you will be able to…
All participants will have experienced working collaboratively to perform their chosen sonatas stylishly and authoritatively.
What level is the course and do I need any particular skills?
The course is for advanced and intermediate learners who have an existing interest in baroque playing and will be placed with learners of similar ability. Melody players should be able to prepare and perform a complete baroque sonata. Lute and harpsichord players should be able to read figures. Pre-formed groups are welcome to apply.
How will the course be taught, and will any preparation be required?
Teaching will mostly be in private sessions. However, there will also be some open sessions and the opportunity to play all together. Repertoire will be decided and prepared in advance.
Will music be provided in advance of the course?
Melody players will choose their repertoire, which will then be provided to continuo players. We will provide a suggested repertoire list.
Tutors' biographies
Naomi Burrell
A graduate of the prestigious ‘joint course’ in Manchester and associate of the Royal Academy of Music, British/Swiss-German violinist Naomi Burrell is sought after as a soloist, chamber musician and orchestral player in the UK and abroad. She specialises in historical performance and plays with many of Europe’s leading early music ensembles, including the Orchestra of the Age of Enlightenment, Cappella Mediterranea, English Baroque Soloists, Academy of Ancient Music and Solomon’s Knot.
Naomi is also dedicated to cross-arts collaborations, especially in theatre and dance. She has played at Shakespeare’s Globe, Sadler’s Wells, in a wide variety of projects with Norwegian ensemble, Barokksolistene, and with her own company, Noodle Music. As guest leader, she has played with English Touring Opera, London Handel Orchestra and Vache Baroque, as well as co-directing the music for Longborough Festival Opera’s production of Purcell’s Fairy Queen in 2023.
Naomi is passionate about education work and has lifelong experience in the Dalcroze Eurythmics approach as well as training with Spitalfields Music and the Guildhall School of Music and Drama. She has led workshops and projects for Cambridge Early Music, Royal Opera House, and is growing new relationships on the south coast where she lives.
Gavin Kibble
Cellist and viola da gamba player Gavin Kibble studied first at the University of Oxford (with Laurence Dreyfus) and then at the Royal Academy of Music (with Jonathan Manson and Joseph Crouch) before continuing his studies privately with Gerhart Darmstadt and Juan Manuel Quintana. Shortly after graduating, he took part in the orchestral academies of Ambronay, Saintes and Aix-en-Provence. Gavin joined the London Handel Players in 2022, with whom he enjoys a busy touring schedule both domestically and internationally and has released several acclaimed recordings including, most recently, Telemann’s first book of ‘Quadri’. A frequent guest principal of the Academy of Ancient Music, Gavin is also a member of Solomons Knot baroque collective and is involved with many other ensembles including the English Baroque Soloists, the Orchestra of the Age of Enlightenment, the Gabrieli Consort, La Nuova Musica, the Mozartists and the Sixteen. Further afield, he has been invited to play as guest continuo cellist at the Opera del Liceu in Barcelona, as well as with groups including Cappella Mediterranea, Vox Luminis and the Irish Baroque Orchestra. Gavin also collaborates with the 'Newe Vialles', where he mostly plays tenor viol.
Satoko Doi-Luck
Satoko Doi-Luck takes pleasure in a diverse career, as a keyboardist, a composer, and a director. Satoko regularly gives solo recitals as well as enjoys playing with orchestras and opera companies such as the Orchestra of the Age of Enlightenment, The Monteverdi Choir & English Baroque Soloists, Garsington Opera, Rachel Podger with Brecon Baroque, and English Touring Opera with whom she has directed the performances of Bach’s St John’s passion. In 2022, she directed Hasse’s opera Antonio e Cleopatra from the keyboard at the Buxton International Festival. She was the Assistant Music Director & Repetiteur at the Longborough Opera for the production of Purcell’s Fairy Queen in 2023. She has recently performed Bach harpsichord concerto at Festival de Bach Lausanne in Switzerland.
Satoko is a keen chamber musician, and a founding member of chamber music groups, Ensemble Molière and Ceruleo. Ensemble Molière has been selected as the first-ever BBC Radio 3 New Generation Baroque Ensemble. Satoko directed their production of Rameau’s Pygmalion at Brighton Early Music Festival and Stroud Green Festival. With Ceruleo, she toured Burying the Dead - an original concert-play about Henry Purcell - to various festivals in the UK including Buxton, York, Lake District and Ryedale.