Brook Street Band - about the band

The young specialist musicians who aim to bring
lesser-known works to the modern stage

The Brook Street Band is an award winning specialist in eighteenth century repertoire that takes its name from the London street where Handel lived and composed for most of his working life in England. Its various prizes include BBC Radio 3 Young Artists' Forum and the Byrne Award, given by the Handel Institute.

It was formed in 1995 by the baroque cellist Tatty Theo with the aim of exploring lesser-known works by Handel and his English and European contemporaries, and interpreting more familiar works in the light of recent scholarship. Discovering, editing and performing twenty-first century premieres of eighteenth century works forms a large part of the group's work.

The Brook Street Band works regularly in conjunction with individual singers, conductors and vocal ensembles. Recent projects have included Handel's Judas Maccabaeus, Coronation Anthems, Ode to St. Cecilia's Day, Acis and Galatea, Apollo e Dafne and Alexander's Feast, Purcell's Indian Queen and Dido and Aeneas, Bach's B Minor Mass, Magnificat and the St. Matthew Passion.

The Band has performed at major European venues, festivals and music clubs, including Cheltenham, Dartington, Norfolk and Norwich, Henley, Petworth, Lincoln and Beverley. It appeared on In Tune and Brian Kay's Sunday Morning Show for BBC Radio 3 and has broadcast on regional BBC radio stations. The Brook Street Band has been Ensemble in Residence at the King of Hearts, Norwich for the Norfolk and Norwich Festival, presenting a series of concerts and lectures and premieres of recently discovered works by eighteenth century composers. The Brook Street Band has also given concerts and master-classes in Finland and for the Dartington International Summer School. The Brook Street Band has established a link with the Handel House Museum giving a series of concerts and running education projects in schools and hospitals.

The Brook Street Band also believes in commissioning contemporary works for period instruments. Those who have written for the group include David Bedford and renowned composer and vocalist Errollyn Wallen. The Band is currently working with Errollyn on a song cycle The Queen and I initiated in 2002 in anticipation of the 400th anniversary of the death of Elizabeth I. This fuses elements of the baroque with Errollyn's distinctive style which draws on popular music idioms as well as the avant-garde.

Forthcoming concerts include appearances at Bury St. Edmunds, Beaminster, King of Hearts Norwich, Chelsea Festival, Petworth and Kuhmo Festival in Finland. The Brook Street Band also has a forthcoming tour and CD of The Queen and I. Their CD Oxford Water Music was launched on AVIE Records on 24November 2003.