Professional Music

Orpheus Britannicus

Orpheus Britannicus was welcomed to Trinity Hall as ‘Ensemble in Residence’ in 2008, since which time each season has seen a highly successful series of concerts and has offered some unique opportunities to current Trinity Hall students to engage with the musicians in the context of ‘open’ rehearsals, master-classes and private lessons.

Orpheus Britannicus has established itself as one of the most dynamic period-instrument and vocal ensembles to have emerged in recent years. Its players and singers are drawn from some of the UK’s leading performers in their field. Founded by Andrew Arthur in 2002 and based in London, the group has enjoyed great success, building a reputation in particular for its expressive and emotional approach to the rich vocal chamber repertoire of the 17th and 18th centuries.

Recent performances have included Handel’s newly discovered Gloria for Soprano and strings, J S Bach’s complete cantatas for solo voice, Zelenka’s Lamentations, Buxtehude’s cantata cycle Membra Jesu nostri and numerous solo songs, dialogues and odes by Henry Purcell and John Blow. Recent choral projects at Trinity Hall with the Orpheus Britannicus Vocal Consort include four contrasting programmes of 17th century English verse anthems, Venetian motets, German Romantic motets and music by S S Wesley.

Orpheus Britannicus also regularly assumes orchestral proportions, and has enjoyed some fine collaborations with the London-based Chandos Chamber Choir. Performances in this guise have included J S Bach’s Johannes Passion, Handel’s Coronation Anthems, Dixit Dominus, Messiah, and verse anthems and Welcome Odes by Henry Purcell. Future engagements include J S Bach’s Messe in H-moll and ‘Lutheran’ Missae. The name Orpheus Britannicus is taken from the title of Henry Purcell’s two great volumes of songs, published by Henry Playford in 1698 and 1702 respectively.