The Worcester Pilgrim - The Early Music Education Project
In partnership with Worcestershire Arts Education and singworks
Singworks
Cathy Dew working in school
Fantastic. Great experience to sing in a Cathedral
The workshop leaders were A*
Students who took part got a huge amount from the project
participants' feedback
The project culminated in a recital at Worcester Cathedral on
Thursday 29th March 2007
Following the successful production of Alex Jones's play The Worcester Pilgrim and The Pilgrimage Books exhibition at Worcester Cathedral last autumn, artworcs gave high school pupils the chance to make their own musical journeys.
Performing in Worcester Cathedral
Pupils from three Worcester Schools (Bishop Perowne CE College, Blessed Edward Oldcorne Catholic College and Nunnery Wood High School) were given the chance to participate in a number of music workshops led by early music specialists - Andrew Watts (principal bassoonist with The Orchestra of the Age of Enlightenment), Cathryn Dew (Manager of Singworks) and Micaela Schmitz (Founder of Early Musica).
Cathy Dew and Micaela Schmitz with some of the young performers in the Cathedral
The pupils found out what pilgrims of old used to sing and brought things right up to date by composing their own pilgrim songs. All this was performed at a free public recital at Worcester Cathedral on Thursday March 29th 2007.
Andy and performers in the Cathedral Crypt
artworcs were delighted to be working in partnership with Singworks and Worcestershire Arts Education and it is hoped that this project will inspire young people to carry on their interest in early music through the Worcestershire Waits. For more details about the Worcestershire Waits go to www.singworks.net.
Early Music Workshop Leaders
artworcs commissioned three professional early music specialists to run the workshops:
| Cathryn Dew |
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Cathryn read music at the University of York, where she continued her studies into the performance of 17th-century instrumental music, completing a DPhil in 1999. Cathryn runs the education programme at the National Centre for Early Music, aiming to make early music exciting and accessible for everyone. In past years she has invaded the city of York with 180 primary school children, singing and playing music from the English Civil War; she has written and performed adaptations of the York Mystery Plays with pupils of York's special schools and danced Pavans and Galliards with enthusiastic people of all ages. Cathryn also works in the West Midlands as a freelance workshop leader and as the manager of Singworks, a Herefordshire and Worcestershire Arts Development project which aims to help establish a vibrant culture of singing together amongst young people in Worcestershire. Cathryn is a recorder player and performs with Micaela Schmitz and Western Wynd Recorder Quartet. |
| Micaela Schmitz |
| Micaela Schmitz specialises in early keyboard instruments. She completed a Doctorate of Musical Arts and a Masters in Choral Conducting at the Eastman School of Music. She spent two years at the Royal Conservatory, the Hague, studying with Jacques Ogg and Bart van Oort. Previous teachers include Charlene Brendler, Arthur Haas, and Malcolm Bilson. In 2002, she won bursaries to study with Penelope Cave (Dartington International Summer School) and Kris Verhselst and Joos van Immerseel (The Vleeshuis, Antwerp). Micaela is an Associate Lecturer with the Open University. Through her company Early Music in the Vale, she delivers early music/dance, continuo and choral workshops for the Chipping Campden Festival, Farncombe Estate, and in schools. She is Editor of Harpsichord and Fortepiano. She is editing works of the late Christopher Wood, which she has premiered with Jeanne Dolmetsch and with Jacqui Robertson. For details of ensemble work, contact the performer. |
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| Andrew Watts |
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Andrew Watts is currently principal bassoon with The Orchestra of the Age of Enlightenment and one of the leading players of baroque and classical bassoon in the UK. He began his early music career by playing medieval and renaissance instruments at primary school in Knaresborough, North Yorkshire and took up the modern bassoon at the age of sixteen. He studied history and music at Cambridge University, bassoon at the Guildhall School of Music and Drama and baroque bassoon at the Royal Conservatoire in The Hague. Starting his professional career as a costumed minstrel in a Mayfair restaurant, recorder teacher for the ILEA and musical director of a touring theatre company (The Medieval Players) he went on to play with a number of renaissance music ensembles and with most of London's period instrument orchestras. He has also played for Nikolaus Harnoncourt with Concentus Musicus in Vienna. He formed The Carnival Band playing a mixture of early, folk and world music and with them has toured as far afield as Sudan and the Arabian Gulf. He is a keen music educator working with children and adults of all ages, has written two workshop packs for keystage 3 and is professor of baroque and classical bassoon at the Royal Academy of Music and visiting tutor at Birmingham University.
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