The Sussex English Music Festival | Ensemble Hesperi (early music ensemble)

We are delighted to announce that the English Music Festival is playing its part in restarting music-making in the UK and that our Autumn Festival will be going ahead this year. We have been very aware of the plight of musicians in this country, so many of whom have lost so much work and, therefore, income since concerts stopped in March, and we have been deeply concerned about the future of concerts and live music in the wake of the lockdown. We are therefore doing what we can to rectify matters by arranging events, starting with an Autumn Festival at St Mary’s Church in Horsham, Sussex.

The early music ensemble Ensemble Hesperi has been acclaimed nationally for its performances, with reviewers stating “The rapport between these players was obvious, as was their infectious enjoyment in the music”, and praising their “virtuosic and delightful playing”. Their concert for the Autumn English Music Festival is a fascinating exploration of London’s musical life in the seventeenth century, with intriguing figures such as Godfrey Finger and Johann Christoph Pepusch appearing alongside such well-known composers as George Frederick Handel and Francesco Geminiani.