Steven Devine combines a career as a conductor and director of orchestral, choral and opera repertoire with that of a solo harpsichordist and fortepianist. He is the Conductor and Artistic Advisor of The English Haydn Festival; Music Director of New Chamber Opera, Oxford and Director of the Orchestra of the Age of Enlightenments Bach the Universe & Everything series. On the concert platform, he has directed Purcell, Blow, Bach, Handel and Mozart with the Orchestra of the Age of Enlightenment; Bach Easter Oratorio with the BBC National Orchestra of Wales; Haydn, Handel, CPE Bach, JC Bach, Ditterdorf and Viotti with the English Haydn Orchestra; Handel, Vivaldi and Porpora Trondheim Barokk, Bach Christmas Oratorio with the Norwegian Wind Ensemble; Handel Solomon as well as JS and CPE Bach programmes with Victoria Baroque Players, British Columbia, Handel Belshazzar at the Valetta Festival and Handel Music for the Royal Fireworks with Arion Baroque Ensemble, Montreal. He has also directed programmes with the Academy of Ancient Music, Academie dAmbronay, the Mozart Festival Orchestra and St Pauls Chamber Orchestra.

They play with perfect intonation, tremendous attack, and impeccable historical style. All the four instruments work together with such intelligence and imagination that I would happily listen to them every day. - Sir Roger Norrington The first period instrument string quartet to be selected as BBC New Generation Artists, the Consone Quartet are fast making a name for themselves with their honest and expressive interpretations of repertoire, notably from the classical and romantic eras. Formed at the Royal College of Music in London, the Consone Quartet launched their professional career in 2015, shortly after which they were awarded two prizes at the 2015 York Early Music International Young Artists Competition, including the EUBO Development Trust Prize and a place on the EEEmerging Scheme in France. They went on to win the 2016 Royal Over-Seas League Ensemble Prize, and in 2022 were awarded a prestigious Borletti-Buitoni Trust (BBT) fellowship. The quartet has been enthusiastically received at Londons major venues, as well as further afield in Poland, Switzerland, Italy, Austria, Bulgaria and Slovenia. Festival invitations include Edinburgh, Cheltenham, Dartington, Two Moors, Buxton, MA Festival in Bruges, Heidelberger Streichquartettfest, and Festspiele Mecklenburg-Vorpommern in Germany. In 2024 the quartet returned to the English Haydn Festival and the York Early Music Festival, both of which are loyal supporters and regularly host the group. Consone are Artists-in-Residence at Paxton House (2023-2025) and at Saxon Shore Early Music Kenardington (2024-2027). Following tours of South America (2018) and Canada (2023) the quartet will return to North America in 2025 to perform both alone and in collaboration with pianist Kristian Bezuidenhout. 2023 saw the Consone Quartet premiere a new work for string sextet by Gavin Bryars, commissioned by friends of the Quartet, the Borletti-Buitoni Trust and BBC Radio 3. The work, entitled The Bridges of Knigsberg, was broadcast on Radio 3 from St Martin-in-the-Fields in October 2023. They will further their exploration of contemporary music with the premiere of a new work for string quartet by Oliver Leith in summer 2025. Education work remains a core interest to the group, having worked with students at the Royal College of Music in London, Chethams School of Music in Manchester, the Royal Welsh College of Music and Drama and the Guildhall School of Music and Drama, as Hans Keller fellows for 2020-2022. 2024 sees the beginning of a new partnership with the Frost Trust as Visiting Quartet at Sheffields Music in the Round. The quartets debut recording explored music by Haydn and Mendelssohn and was described by The Strad as an album that instantly leaps out of the stereo at you as something special. In Spring 2023 they released the first CD in a complete cycle of Mendelssohns string quartets with Linn Records. The album, featuring both the 1823 and Op. 44 No. 3 quartets, has been described as top-notch (Allmusic) and exquisite (Pizzicato).

Historically-informed solo-voice choir The Queenes Chappell make their return to the Surrey Bach Festival, for a beautiful evening concert of meditative choral music. The Queenes Chappell is a young, versatile vocal consort committed to the performance of 16th, 17th and 18th century repertoire in a bold, vivid, and historically informed style. Founded in 2022 by Artistic Director Matthew Brown, the group has presented concerts across London and beyond, and is fast establishing itself as a fresh and exciting interpreter of Renaissance and Baroque repertoire. The group is now resident at St Marys Church, Stoke dAbernon, a historic church with a long and rich history of historical performance. Previously, The Queenes Chappell were engaged as Artists-in-Residence at St Mary-le-Strand in central London, and have appeared in the Italian Sounds in London and Baroquestock festivals. Its members are drawn from Londons best solo and consort singers, who sing with other premiere ensembles such as Voces8, Monteverdi Choir, Gabrieli Consort, Tenebrae, and The Sixteen.

After a highly successful performance at the 2024 Surrey Bach Festival, Istante Opera returns to Stoke d'Abernon to bring their new production of George Frideric Handel's Aci, Galatea e Polifemo . This production premiers at Baroquestock 2024, in Heath St Baptist Church, London. More information about Baroquestock can be foundhere [https://baroquestock.com/]. Istante is a versatile musical collective committed to reaching out to new audiences through innovative concert experiences. Istantes performances, often held in an informal setting, aim to inspire the listener by linking repertoire through historical and narrative threads. Individually, Istantes members perform with prestigious orchestras and ensembles including Royal Opera House Orchestra, BBC Symphony Orchestra, Bournemouth Symphony Orchestra, La Scala orchestra, English Baroque Soloists/Orchestre Rvolutionnaire et Romantique, Orchestra of the Age of Enlightenment, Academy of Ancient Music, Kings Consort. By combining their diverse experience, they are able to offer a unique breadth of repertoire, both in terms of style and historical period. Istante has performed in a range of venues in the UK and abroad, including the St Stephen's Festival of the Arts in London, the Newbury Festival and Classica Aurora series in Arezzo (Italy), and was selected for the 2017-2018 BREMF Live! Scheme. The ensemble counts a number of collaborations with Opera Vera, performing original arrangements of La Boheme, Gianni Schicchi, and Mozarts da Ponte trilogy. Istante is ensemble in residence at Baroquestock Festival, featuring a unique fusion of historical performance, folk music, community projects and home-cooked food. Baroquestock highlights include a fully staged production of J.Haydns rarely-heard opera Lo Speziale. The ensemble also play various concerts throughout the year, often as part of the church's lunchtime concert series. Istantes debut album, Little things in Odd Shapes, featuring chamber music for mixed string/wind ensemble by Boccherini and M. Haydn, was released by Novantiqua Records in 2018.

Join renowned choral conductor Eamonn Dougan (Associate Conductor, The Sixteen), for a workshop day exploring some beloved choral repertoire.

An opportunity to join a guided tour of St Marys Church, Stoke DAbernon, Surreys oldest church which dates from the 7th century. Features include reused Roman materials laid in characteristic Saxon style, 13th century wall paintings, internationally renowned 14th century brasses, a 16th century chantry chapel containing Vincent family monuments, a fine Jacobean pulpit and an important collection of 15th and 16th century stained glass. Each tour, which will last around 60 minutes, will be led by a professional guide and there will be an opportunity to ask questions. No charge will be made for these tours but donations to St Marys Church (by cash or card) will be welcome. Numbers are limited so early booking is recommended.

The festival's own orchestra returns to St Mary's Stoke d'Abernon for an exciting evening of Baroque orchestral music by Bach, Corelli and Handel. Conducted from the harpsichord by Festival Artistic Director Matthew Brown, this event promises to be an exciting evening of elegant music for strings, winds and harpsichord. Matthew Brown - conductor British harpsichordist, early organist, and director Matthew Brown is in demand as a continuo player, recitalist, repetiteur, vocal coach and conductor across London and beyond. Matthew has studied under various leading harpsichordists and directors such as Carole Cerasi, James Johnstone, Colin Booth, Steven Devine, Jrg-Andreas Btticher, and Eamonn Dougan. In concert, Matthew has collaborated with groups such as the Academy of Ancient Music, Philharmonia, Genesis Sixteen, and Istante Collective, performing orchestral and chamber repertoire across London and beyond. He has been a member of young artist programmes with the Orchestra of the Age of Enlightenment (Young Associate Scheme), Cambridge Handel Opera Company (Talent Development Programme), and Brighton Early Music Festival Young Artists Scheme. He works frequently with Bellot Ensemble, a young chamber ensemble who are building a profile as interpreters of 17th century repertoire, who recently recorded a debut album, Cupids Ground Bass. He also collaborates with recorder player Olivia Petryszak in their duo fora, working recently on a series of video recordings. Fostering a special interest in vocal repertoire and opera, Matthew frequently works as a vocal coach, repetiteur and opera continuo player, for companies such as Cambridge Handel Opera Company, Ryedale Festival Opera, Istante Opera, Hampstead Garden Opera, and Guildhall Opera, covering a variety of Baroque opera repertoire from Monteverdi to Handel. He is in demand and gaining several regular clients as a vocal coach and accompanist, recently delivering a masterclass on baroque singing at the University of Manchester alongside Hilary Cronin. In January 2022, Matthew founded The Queenes Chappell, a historically informed solo-voice consort of which he is Artistic Director, who give acclaimed concerts across London and the UK.