Sunday 8th May at 4pm
St Mary’s Thornham Parva

A Programme of European Baroque Music played on period instruments by Mvsica Donvm Dei

Members of Mvsica Donvm Dei come for their first visit to Thornham with a programme of eighteenth century chamber music containing some familiar masterpieces, as well as some surprises from lesser known composers of the period - including works for the rarely-heard viola d'amore. The performers will introduce the works, and their instruments.

Julia Black Baroque Violin and Viola d’Amore
Gareth Deats Baroque Cello
Michael Overbury Harpsichord

Music by Handel, Bach, Couperin, Pezold, Barriere & Dragonetti

tickets £15, email or ring 01379 788130

Julia Black studied violin with Kenneth Piper and John Ludlow, and early violin with Catherine Mackintosh at the Royal College of Music. She subsequently moved to the Netherlands to continue her historical performance practice studies on early violin/viola with Lucy van Dael, Sigiswald Kuijken and others at the Koninklijke Conservatorium in The Hague. She has performed, broadcast and made recordings with a variety of ensembles here and in Europe including the Gabrieli Consort

Gareth Deats obtained a first-class honours degree in music from the University of Southampton, where he was also awarded the Peter Evans prize for outstanding performance. He studied cello with Paul Cox and then completed a postgraduate course at the Guildhall School of Music, where he studied baroque cello with Anthony Pleeth. He is now principal cello for La Serenissima, The Galeazzi Ensemble and Charivari Agréable, and has performed as principal with London Handel Orchestra, The New London Consort, Classical Opera Company, The Avison Ensemble, and many other orchestras and chamber ensembles. He has recorded over 20 CDs as principal cellist or soloist, including concertos and chamber music. These have garnered much critical acclaim including winning a Gramophone award in 2010 with La Serenissima for The French Connection, on Avie Records.

Michael Overbury’s early musical influences centred on Farnham and London.  At his local Parish Church his organ teacher Stephen Thomson inspired in him a love of the harpsichord.  Whilst still at school he gave a number of first performances in the Farnham Festival. Horizons broadened with an Organ Scholarship to Corpus Christi College, Cambridge, where he read music.  Harpsichord tuition continued with Kenneth Gilbert. Michael has been an assisting organ scholar at King’s College, Cambridge, Assistant Organist at New College, Oxford, a deputy organist and choir master at St Alban’s Abbey, Director of Music at Eagle House Prep School, Master of the Song School at Newark, Nottinghamshire, and Director of Music of Nottingham Boys Choir. He has appeared twice as soloist at the Royal Festival Hall and in Westminster Abbey, has played with numerous choirs and orchestras, and has featured on several recordings, including five solo discs. Michael is currently Director of Music of the Priory Church of Our Lady and St Cuthbert, Worksop. He is a founder member of Musica Donum Dei, and harpsichordist for the chamber trio Continuum. Michael plays his own Flemish-type harpsichord built in 1984 in the style of instruments by Andries Ruckers. He lives in Newark.