The Present State of England (from 1692)

Actor Simon Paisley Day (as Dr Edward Chamberlayne and later his son, John) will be assisted by violinist Conor Gricmanis and harpsichordist Anhad Arora to explore The Present State of England ~ an entertainment to educate the minds of all Gentlemen (& Women)! Music by Henry Purcell, Georg Frideric Handel, John Blow and Thomas Arne. Devised by Steve Coles especially for SSEMK. The Chamberlaynes' book, "The Present State of England" went to some thirty-eight volumes between 1669 and 1755 and was an influential tome covering England (and later Great Britain's) society, government and state offices. Join us - we guarantee a few surprises on the way!

Simon Paisley Day is well-known as a stage and screen actor, appearing in, amongst others, Star Wars, Doctor Who, and as Dominic Cummings in This England. Conor Gricmanis studied with Rachel Podger and Bojan Čičić, and is fast becoming the foremost baroque violinist of his generation. Anhad Arora studied with Jane Chapman and James Johnstone, while holding both an undergraduate academic scholarship at Lady Margaret Hall, Oxford and the repetiteur scholarship with New Chamber Opera. He has since appeared with some of the country’s foremost groups, including Academy of Ancient Music, the Royal Northern Sinfonia and the Oxford Bach Soloists, for whom he serves as co-principal keyboardist. An afternoon with a difference!