Bringing Musical Heritage to Life
Over the past few years, I have been lucky to be able to create a number of musical projects bringing to life the historical past of many organisations, most recently Chawton House and Temple Church, London. I am experienced in designing engaging and accessible programmes that capture forgotten stories through music, the spoken word, and cross art form collaborations.
Below are a few examples of music and heritage projects I have recently curated. Please do contact me if you are interested in inviting me to curate an event or series for your organisation. Every programme is backed by careful research, with your chosen audience in mind, and performed by leading musicians in the field of historically informed performance.
Recent Musical Heritage Projects
Then I play'd upon the Harpsichord
In 2021, supported by a Georgian Papers Fellowship, I started to uncover the private musical passions of Georgian monarchs, and was delighted to discover that much of the music collection of Queen Charlotte, consort to George III, is housed in the Royal Music Library at the British Library. The following year, I created a musical project, "Then I play'd upon the Harpsichord", which presented music from Charlotte’s collection alongside readings from her own diaries. Generously supported by the Continuo Foundation, this project had its first performance at a Georgian townhouse, Six, Fitzroy Square, in summer 2022, complete with period-appropriate teas and cakes!
Celestial Music did the Gods Inspire
In 2023, I worked with London’s Temple Church, to bring to life a dramatic musical story from its history, the ‘Battle of the Organs’. In 1682, two leading organ builders of the day built two rival instruments for the church, and hired famous players to showcase their craftsmanship! In partnership with the Temple Music Foundation, and supported by the Continuo Foundation, I created a programme of music by the winning organists, Henry Purcell and John Blow, weaved around Charles Burney’s historical narrative of the battle itself. The music included Blow’s rarely performed verse anthems, perfect for this sacred space.
From Caledonia to the Capital
Supported by a generous grant from the Continuo Foundation, I created a performance project telling the stories of Scottish composers uncovered in my PhD research. These eighteenth-century Scottish musicians, drawn to London by artistic and employment opportunities alike, produced the most fantastic music, inspired by the soaring folk melodies and dance rhythms of Scotland itself. At the heart of the programme was the artistic journey of Fife-born Scottish composer James Oswald. Alongside vocal music from his rarely performed song collections, I also featured a string symphony by another little heard Scottish composer, the eccentric Thomas Erskine, 6th Earl of Kellie.
Jane Austen: Pleasure in Music
In December 2023, I was invited by Chawton House - once owned by Jane Austen’s brother, and where Austen herself wrote many of her novels - to create a programme to celebrate the author’s birthday. A volume of printed music belonging to Jane Austen had been rediscovered only a few months earlier (left) - Domenico Corri’s Select Collection of Choice Pieces for the Harpsichord or Pianoforte.
Music was an important part of Jane Austen’s personal and literary life. She was a good piano player and singer, though she rarely performed to others, and the Corri volume contains a page copied in Jane Austen’s own hand! The concert featured several of Corri’s arrangements, alongside favourite arias from the theatre and ever-popular Scots songs, often copied out in manuscript by hand. Jane and her family would have enjoyed these pieces at home, and it was a joy to perform them in the Great Hall at Chawton, at a house she knew so well.
