Academy of Ancient Music

Sons of England

AAM: The Golden Anniversary

featuring Reginald Mobley (counter-tenor), Laurence Cummings (director & harpsichord)

continuo logo Supported by a grant from Continuo Foundation

Baroque England was a nation turned inside out: a fledgling democracy that could also be profoundly unjust, a culture convinced of its own uniqueness but which welcomed genius from all lands. Tonight, Academy of Ancient Music explores an era that’s never felt more current.

So, the music of the London-born Purcell sits alongside masterpieces by Handel – a German who became English by choice – and Ignatius Sancho, who was born into slavery but found freedom and musical success in Georgian England. Curated by American countertenor Reginald Mobley, Sons of England weaves music and words to explore alternative histories of the English baroque, culminating in a Sancho-inspired new commission by composer Roderick Williams: musical history shaping a shared future.

A free pre-concert talk will take place in the auditorium at 6.30pm before the Cambridge and London performances.

We would like to thank the Arts and Humanities Research Council and Continuo Foundation for their support of this performance.

Barbican Centre & Milton Court
Thu, 30 May 2024
Milton Court, London
7:30pm
From £15 (£5 under-35s)

Full Event Details

So, the music of the London-born Purcell sits alongside masterpieces by Handel – a German who became English by choice – and Ignatius Sancho, who was born into slavery but found freedom and musical success in Georgian England. Curated by American countertenor Reginald Mobley, Sons of England weaves music and words to explore alternative histories of the English baroque, culminating in a Sancho-inspired new commission by composer Roderick Williams: musical history shaping a shared future.

A free pre-concert talk will take place in the auditorium at 6.30pm before the Cambridge and London performances.

We would like to thank the Arts and Humanities Research Council and Continuo Foundation for their support of this performance.