Music ensemble Eboracum Baroque are back, bringing their distinctive style and historic repertoire to a current audience
“We try to make our performances more of an experience,” says Chris Parsons, director of Eboracum Baroque. This is a group that’s determined to keep audiences involved, making the most of every chance to ensure an appearance is memorable. “In the summer, we did a few concerts out in Grantchester at The Orchard, and we played some 17th-century drinking songs, with the audience singing along,” Chris adds. “It was amazing.”
Even when starved of opportunities to offer in-person concerts, the ensemble kept themselves busy. Over lockdown, the group filmed plenty of performances in empty church venues, and livestreamed virtual concerts over on the Eboracum Baroque YouTube channel. This allowed Cambridge locals, as well as audiences from as far afield as Germany and Peru, to stay tuned. And in December of last year, the group went a step further, and recorded its very own CD.
Eboracum Baroque is inspiring a renewed appreciation of classical music
“We ran a crowdfunding campaign for the CD, and it was a great success,” explains Chris. “Our audiences have been fantastic supporting the ensemble and our work, especially over the past year. The project is something we’d always wanted to do, and we finally got a chance to do it.”
Containing Eboracum Baroque’s iteration of Handel’s Messiah, the CD was recorded locally in Swaffham Prior, and is set to launch on Saturday 18 December. A souvenir of sorts, it’s a perfect example of the ensemble’s historically informed style.
The group has also been involved with plenty of education projects, and will be resuming much of this in the spring of next year – offering a unique insight into Baroque opera music, along with art and literature, to children across Cambridgeshire. By introducing the younger generations to its repertoire, Eboracum Baroque is inspiring a renewed appreciation of classical music – one that stretches beyond the genre’s traditional appeal, attracting an audience who may never have stumbled across it before.
“We’ve always tried to be accessible,” Chris concludes. “We want people to really get involved.”
Don’t miss out!
Catch Eboracum Baroque in concert at Great St Mary’s Church on Saturday 18 December, and at St Andrew’s Church, Wimpole, on Sunday 19 December, performing Handel’s Messiah. The ensemble’s CD recording of Messiah will be available to purchase on the day at the venues – visit the Eboracum Baroque website for more information and ticket details.
