Patrons: Sir John Eliot Gardiner, Prof. Christopher Hogwood, Sir Roger Norrington
Artistic Directors: Margaret Faultless, Dr Martin Ennis
Click here for a list of Collegium Musicum Concerts
The Cambridge University Collegium Musicum is an ensemble which promotes and facilitates the study of historically-informed performance practice. In 2006, the University’s Faculty of Music commissioned copies of baroque instruments from leading makers in this country and abroad. These have since been made available to musicians selected from across the university, who receive regular coaching in historically-informed performing techniques. These musicians form the members of Cambridge University Collegium Musicum (or CUCM for short) which, in addition to providing coaching, gives them opportunities to perform under the direction of and in collaboration with many distinguished musicians. In-depth experience of baroque instruments and performing techniques is a rare opportunity at student level and the group also offers opportunities to players of modern instruments who share an interest in performance practice.
Recent projects have included performances of the Monteverdi Vespers, Bach’s B minor mass, a cycle of Brandenburg concertos, biennial productions of Handel operas with Cambridge Handel Opera and regular concerts of chamber music. For the last two years the orchestra has collaborated with the Academy of Ancient Music in a side-by-side workshop culminating in a performance of Bach’s first orchestral suite (2011) and Corelli’s concerti grossi (2012). This collaboration will be repeated in March 2013, when both ensembles, directed by Richard Egarr, will explore baroque dance suites. CUCM will also work alongside the Cambridge University Chamber Choir and His Majesty’s Sagbutts and Cornetts in a Gabrieli project directed by Martin Ennis and Margaret Faultless in February 2013, with performances at Girton and St John’s Colleges.
The Makers and their Instruments
Alan Beavitt, Scorraig
Three violins: all based on Cremonese models of c. 1720, heavily influenced by Stradivari, all dated 2006.
Rowland H. Ross, Hampshire
Three violins: one based on Guarneri del Gesù model of 1742 (the ‘Cannon’), dated 2005; one based on Stradivari model of 1715 (‘von Vecsey’), dated 2005; one based on Nicolò Amati model of 1662 (‘Grand Amati’), dated 2006.
Chris Johnson, Loughborough
Viola in the style of Andrea Guarneri, dated 2006.
Jonathan Woolston, Cambridge
Viola in the style of Andrea Guarneri model of 1676 (‘Conte Vitale’), dated 2006.
David Rubio, Cambridge
Cello based on 1770 Italian model, dated 1987.
George Stoppani, Manchester
Cello based on Stradivari model of 1710 (‘Gore-Booth’), dated 2006.
Kai-Thomas Roth, Somerset
Double bass made after the outline of an original by Domenico Montagnana (Venice, 1747), dated 2006.
Martin Wenner, Singen, Germany
Two flutes after Carlo Palanca (Turin, c. 1750) , dated 2006.
Pau Orriols, Barcelona, Catalonia
Two oboes after Thomas Stanesby, dated 2006.
Instrument Hire
The instruments will be loaned for a charge of £10 per term (bows £5) to members of the Collegium for one year at a time; those who use the instruments will be responsible for their day-to-day maintenance. In certain circumstances external loans may be possible, for a charge of £50 per term. Download the instrument hire form here.
Contacts
Co-ordinator:
Emily Ashton; eas57@cam.ac.uk
Artistic directors:
Martin Ennis, Girton College, Cambridge, CB3 0JG; mwe20@cam.ac.uk
Margaret Faultless, Girton College, Cambridge CB3 0JG; maggiefaultless@talktalk.net
