This performance will start with an introduction to our new Artistic Director, Adrian Brendel, followed by a discussion about tonight’s performance with writer, composer and broadcaster Michael Berkeley, Solomon’s Knot Artistic Director, Jonathan Sells and the writer/director of this evening’s performance, Federay Holmes.

A fascinating programme of discovery and connection. George Jeffreys (c.1610–1685) lived between the great composers William Byrd and Henry Purcell, navigating the upheavals of the English Civil War. Organist to Charles I, he immersed himself in Italian madrigals, blending their expressiveness with Anglican intensity. His contemporary William Lawes can lay a claim to writing the earliest known chamber music, profoundly influencing the next generations of composers, including Purcell himself, through his bold and elaborate style.