Vocal group’s stylish return to Leamington

The programme, Treasures of the Renaissance, includes masterpieces from the 16th century – ‘the Golden Age’ of Choral Music – in Latin and in English by some of the great Tudor composers like Byrd, Tallis, Tomkins and Gibbons and their continental counterparts, Gombert, Lassus, Palestrina, Victoria and Praetorius.

Leamington Music director Richard Phillips said: ”The 12 singers in Stile Antico perform without a conductor and so eye contact and intensive rehearsals are necessary to produce the superlative standards that we have come to expect of this group that I first heard in 2005 when they won the Audience Prize in the York Early Music Festival Competition for Young Artists.

“Stile Antico has performed in Stratford, Leamington and Warwick every year since 2006 in festivals and concert series that I have put on.

“Recently two of its members, including the bass William Dawes, who has strong Warwickshire connections, gave a very successful workshop day in Warwick for members of the Midlands Early Music Forum and other amateur singers.

“It was so popular that some people had to be turned away.”

The concert starts at 7.30pm.

Another Leamington Music concert will take place at the Pump Room in Leamington on Friday from 7.30pm.

The Barbirolli String Quartet will play a programme which features three works – Haydn’s Quartet in E flat Op 64 No 6, Bartok’s Quartet No 2 and Verdi’s only Quartet in E minor.

Mr Phillips said: “The Barbirolli Quartet played for us at Holy Trinity church in Leamington in July 2010 and, sharing the enthusiasm of the large audience, I issued an immediate invitation for them to return.

“In the meantime the quartet have gone from strength to strength and have recently brought out their first recording to great critical acclaim.”

Tickets for both concerts are available from the Bridge House Theatre in Warwick.

Call 776438 or visit www.bridgehousetheatre.co.uk