Triple tapestries

A selection of Baroque music for three recorders performed by Netty Rhodes, Julie Dean and Louise Strickland.

Netty followed a career in social work before turning a passion for the recorder into a profession. In 2005 she was awarded a Masters degree from the Royal College of Music, where she studied with Ashley Solomon (early music) and Julien Feltrin (contemporary). Netty’s eagerness to promote her often misunderstood instrument is fundamental to all her work. Keen to encourage new writing for the recorder, in March 2005 Netty was privileged to premiere a new work by British composer Laurie Beamon. Another favourite activity is the transcription and performance of little-known English stage works of the later 18th century, and with her Baroque ensemble, My Lady’s Chamber, she has brought about the modern premiere of a collection of pieces probably not heard for around 250 years.

As an educator, Netty tries to inspire from the very beginning a love and respect for the recorder amongst primary- and secondary-age school children. To this end she coordinates SWeet! Recorder Consort CIC, providing opportunities for young players in Lambeth to perform together in consort, and has delivered schools workshops with renowned recorder ensemble Consortium 5.

Julie Dean studied the recorder at Goldsmith’s College, London and at Trinity Conservatoire of Music. Past performances have included the Greenwich International Early Music Festival, St Martin-in-the-Fields, Handel House Museum, Southbank Centre and many other venues across London. She was a winner of the Trinity College of Music Early Music Competition in 2011 with Ensemble Tramontana, performing with the group at the Greenwich International Early Music Festival 2011. She performs regularly with the comedy- and jazz-influenced BRLO (British Recorder Light Orchestra) and Belsize Baroque Orchestra, as well as many solo and ensemble performances.

Julie works actively with children (using the Suzuki method for recorder) and adult amateur recorder players, directing several weekly groups and offering individual tuition. She teaches at numerous recorder events around the UK, such as the Society of Recorder Players, Easter Recorder Course, NORVIS Early Music Course and the Cheltenham Summer Recorder Festival. She has published 4 volumes of 'Rounds for Recorders' and a guidebook, 'Looking after your wooden recorder'.

Julie also runs her online recorder shop, RecorderShopLondon.co.uk, and has repaired and revoiced recorders for over 15 years for both professional and amateur players. She regularly gives a presentation to help recorder players understand recorder maintenance and revoicing, including at various amateur courses, the Royal Academy of Music, the Royal Birmingham Conservatoire, and the Encontro de Música Antiga de Loulé, Portugal.

Louise Strickland is a specialist in recorders and historical clarinets, as well as an enthusiastic educationalist. She studied at the GSMD, Goldsmith’s College and in Saintes, France, with the Jeune Orchestre Atlantique and has freelanced with many high-profile period instrument groups such as English Concert, OAE, La Serenissima, AAM and Gabrieli. Recordings include Vivaldi’s Women (chalumeau, La Serenissima 2022), Et in arcadia ego (recorder, Concentus VII 2013) and Handel’s Queens (recorder, London Early Opera, 2019) as well as radio broadcasts for stations such as BBC Radio 3 and France Musique. Having been involved in teaching for many years, she was a consultant for the 2026 ABRSM recorder syllabus and currently teaches at St Paul’s Girls School, London.