To mark the 450th birthday of the great John Dowland, in 2013, we started a new enterprise: DOWLAND WORKS. It’s a sort of club for young performers and seasoned specialists to explore together the rich heritage of lute song left to us by Dowland and others. Our numbers have grown steadily, now to more than 20 performers.

 

In 2015 we played in Hampstead, Highbury, Leeds, Finchcocks (Kent), Powderham (Devon) and Greenwich, in a series of beautiful venues where the special qualities of the lute and its repertoire were revealed and cherished. In 2016 we have engagements in Oxford, Stroud Green (London), Hatchlands (Surrey) and Dartington (Devon).

 

Our numbers allow us to field different groups on different occasions; among our singers, some are members of the busiest professional vocal groups, and also have formed their own duos; others have different preoccupations in the field of creative arts. Thus far we have numbered from six to fourteen players at a time. The repertoire too is flexible – what is constant is the delight it offers to all.