The Rose Consort of Viols
takes its name from the celebrated family of viol makers, whose work spanned the growth and flowering of the English consort repertoire. The Consort performs throughout the UK and Europe, has appeared regularly on the BBC and in the major London concert halls, and has also featured at festivals in Canada and the USA, and as a guest ensemble at the Pan-Pacific Gamba Gathering in Hawaii. Concerts frequently include guest singers such as Emma Kirkby and Clare Wilkinson; the vocal groups Red Byrd, Stile Antico and the BBC Singers; and lutenists Jacob Heringman and Elizabeth Kenny. The Consort has received awards for its research and performance of newly devised programmes, and has investigated some of the earliest viol consort repertory using instruments modelled on those painted by Lorenzo Costa in 1497. Recent engagements have included performances with the Cathedral Choir in Oslo, for Early Music Days in Bratislava, and a performance of music from an early sixteenth-century songbook in Bologna. The Rose Consort has made a number of highly acclaimed recordings, including Adoramus Te, with music by Byrd and Philips (shortlisted in the 2015 Gramophone Awards); Serenissima, featuring Renaissance consort music from around Europe played on Venetian-style viols (selected as ‘Chamber Choice’ by BBC Music Magazine); Mynstrelles with Straunge Sounds, using the ‘Costa’ viols; and most recently Exiled, with music by Richard Dering and Peter Philips. Members of the Rose Consort are in demand as tutors on courses at Benslow Music and throughout the world.