Music for Wexford present the Sestina Ensemble - Saturday 26th April

Sestina Music Biography

In 2011, a group of young singers from Ulster Youth Choir (now NYCNI) had the opportunity to work with internationally renowned conductor Paul McCreesh and countertenor Mark Chambers in preparation for a landmark Proms performance of Mendelssohn’s Elijah in London’s Royal Albert Hall. The singers were inspired by the experience of working alongside professional ensembles and soloists and decided to establish a Northern Irish ensemble with a focus on the development and mentoring of early-stage professional singers. And so, Sestina Music was born.

Under the direction of Mark Chambers, Sestina Music has quickly developed into an early music ensemble with a reputation for excellence and authenticity in the performance of early music as well as a fresh and innovative approach to programming.

A resident ensemble of Fisherwick Presbyterian Church, Belfast, the support and development of aspiring professional singers from Northern Ireland and Ireland is at the heart of Sestina Music’s activities.

Our Next Generation Mentoring Programme provides an immersive educational experience for young performers at various stages of their training and careers, allowing them to develop their craft by working alongside world-class professionals. To date, Sestina Music's early-stage professionals have performed several stage works of Henry Purcell (The Fairy Queen (2013), King Arthur (2014) and Dido and Aeneas (2016)), and the ensemble features some of the finest specialist early music practitioners in the world. Sestina Music frequently collaborates with other ensembles for larger productions, including, His Majesty’s Sagbutts and Cornetts, The Monteverdi String Band (for their 2016 production of Monteverdi’s Vespers of 1610), and Irish Baroque Orchestra for a production of Handel’s Theodora (2018).

Sestina Music now boasts a reputation for artistic excellence and annually produces showcase performances such as ‘Carols at the Museum’ and touring productions such as ‘Mein Freund ist Mein’ - a semi-staged production featuring music of the Bach family - as well as collaborating with organisations such as the Irish Baroque Orchestra (Esther (2019) and Messiah (2019), and featuring in festivals and concert series such as East Cork Early Music Festival (2018) and the Barber Evening Concert Series (2020). Sestina Music’s debut recording - Master & Pupil - in partnership with Resonus Classics, was released in 2021.

Programme:

Suite of Airs de Violon

Michel-Richard de Lalande

Caprice

Michel-Richard de Lalande

Confitebor tibi Domine S.56

Michel-Richard de Lalande

Concerto grosso in G minor, Op. 6, No. 8

Concerto pour la Nuit de Noël

Published posthumously in 1714

Arcangelo Corelli

Cantate Domino S.72

Michel-Richard de Lalande

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