Historical Performance
Recorders - Baroque Flute - Harpsichord - Viola da Gamba - Continuo
Historical Performance activities offer all students a dynamic and immersive pathway to developing informed interpretations of music from the distant and more recent past. Through engaging with a broad range of genres, students develop a keen, critical ear and a deeper understanding of the societal and contextual aspects of a piece of music, be it from the 14th-century French Ars Subtilior through to Baroque and Classical repertoire.
Across the school, pupils dive into this exciting world through ensemble-playing with our team of Early Music specialists, who are active in the field of Early Music and Historical Performance. They also have the opportunity to study period instruments such as the Baroque flute, recorder, harpsichord, viola da gamba, historical brass, and Baroque bows for strings.
All instrumentalists and singers are encouraged to explore this way of thinking and studying music through all types of genres. We present regular concerts in our own 600-year-old Baronial Hall, as well as further afield at international festivals, including many recent performances at the London International Festival of Early Music.
Recorders
Chetham’s School of Music has a long tradition of excellence in the world of recorder playing and teaching. We are the only specialist music school in the UK to own a set of handmade Renaissance copy recorders by master maker Tom Prescott, allowing us to explore consort music from the 16th century. We also have excellent wooden recorders down to great bass by Yamaha, and 415Hz recorders by Takeyama for our recorder players to use.
Our recent recorder students have won scholarships to study at the Royal Academy of Music, Royal College of Music, Royal Birmingham Conservatoire, Royal Northern College of Music, and Guildhall School of Music and Drama.
Recorder players are front and centre within the supportive woodwind department and are fully included in all woodwind and wider school activities. Recent successes include Anna Williams, scholarship winner to the Royal Academy of Music, winning the 2023 Chetham’s Concerto Competition and performing Jonathon Harvey’s Concerto Incantato with the Chetham’s Symphony Orchestra at Bridgewater Hall.
Recorder players at Chetham’s have an unparalleled educational experience. As well as the Baroque repertoire, students leave with a well-rounded musical experience and solid technical knowledge, including circular breathing, performing with live electronics, and using software such as Max/MSP. They also learn improvisation in historical and contemporary styles. Each recorder player has the chance to express their own voice and style, and they go on to many varied and exciting musical careers.
Recent masterclasses and guest visitors include Dorothee Oberlinger, Anna Stegmann and Tabea Debus.
Recent performances
Chetham’s Early Music Ensemble performed at the London Early Music Festival in November 2025. The ensemble was formed of students and staff from Chetham’s and they have become regular performers at the London International Festival of Early Music in recent years. Last year’s concert included J.S. Bach’s astonishing Brandenburg Concerto No. 4 featuring Gabriella Jones as soloist, alongside other colourful works of chamber music for recorder, strings and harpsichord.
