Where folk, trad and early music meet
- the common grounds
Congratulations and Thank You!
Thank you to all who made HISS 2024 such a success!
We achieved more than 80 participants this year, despite several late cancellations due to COVID (proving it is still doing the rounds!), bringing us more or less back to pre-COVID numbers. We had a lot of returners, of course, but plenty of new faces too! About 25% were first timers - the highest percentage for a long time.
We look forward to welcoming you all at HISS 2025 18 - 22 August with
more new friends for next year’s exciting course!
We were delighted and privileged to have our Guest Tutor Robert Hollingworth, who led a workshop day on the sumptuous polychoral Missa Tu Es Petrus by Orazio Benevoli workshop day with four choirs of singers and instrumentalists. Judging by your feedback, doing Jephte, marking the 350th anniversay of the death in 1674 of Giacomo Carissimi, also made a big impact. As expected other highlights were the Tutors concert and the highly entertaining Musical Banquet.
Please note: the website will gradually be transformed in the coming weeks as we prepare for HISS 2025.
Of course, 2025 marks the 500th anniversary of the birth of Palestrina. We are again looking for plenty of singers, to undertake some of the double choir works. Also, the music of Mikolaj Zielenski, born 50 years later in 1575, with an 8 part setting of Tu Es Petrus, and a 12 part (3 choirs) Magnificat with voices and instruments. He was born in Płock, in modern day Poland, about 100km west of Warsaw. Like many composers of the period his music was published in Venice. Two volumes of his sacred works, totalling 122 pieces, were published by Vincentius in Venice in 1611.
After some years of discussion we aim to include a day of dance in 2025, aimed at illuminating the way to play
early and folk dance music, by actually learning the steps!
Watch out for updates to our plans here in the next couple of months!