Musicke in the Ayre
Dowland at St Bride's
Carmel Edwards has been singing since the age of five and sings as a soloist or with choral groups in and around the East Midlands. She studied with Nick Clapton in Oxford and has taken part in masterclasses with Dame Emma Kirkby and Evelyn Tubb. She enjoys singing a range of music but particularly loves early music. As well as being now on her 15th outing as part of Musicke in the Ayre, Carmel is part of Derbyshire-based ensemble FretWirk, presenting a variety of music for plucked instruments and voice. She has written and performed in her own show ‘Cissie’s Songbook’, based on the music of Ivor Novello.
Din Ghani began playing the lute in 1975, and in the last two decades took up luthery; he has made a number of lutes and other early plucked string instruments, mostly for his own use (including the 7-course lute used in this recital). Since 2007 he has participated regularly as an accompanist in lute song masterclasses given by Dame Emma Kirkby and Evelyn Tubb. The coaching received from the late David Miller and Michael Fields at these events helped hone his accompaniment skills, together with occasional lessons from other top lutenists, most recently from Lynda Sayce and Sam Brown.
The instrument used for this concert will be a 7-course Renaissance lute in E, after Venere, c. 1582. Iroko ribs, neck and pegbox, spruce front, ebony fingerboard, plum pegs and bridge (Din Ghani, 2010)
Programme:
John Dowland (1563-1626) Rest a while, you cruel cares
Thinks’t thou then by thy feigning
Sleep, wayward thoughts
A dream
Flow my tears
Come, heavy sleep
Weep you no more, sad fountains
Resolution
Sweet, stay a while
Awake, sweet love, thou art returned
Come away, come sweet love
Fri, 22 May 2026
St Bride's Church, London EC4
1:15pm
Free (retiring collection)
Full Event Details
Musicke in the Ayre was formed by Din Ghani in 2011 as a vehicle for exploring and performing the vast repertoire of C16/17 works for solo voice(s) accompanied by lute or similar, with a growing band of singers who share his passion for lute songs. Now established as leading performers of early song, they have given over 185 recitals across the country and abroad.
Carmel Edwards has been singing since the age of five and sings as a soloist or with choral groups in and around the East Midlands. She studied with Nick Clapton in Oxford and has taken part in masterclasses with Dame Emma Kirkby and Evelyn Tubb. She enjoys singing a range of music but particularly loves early music. As well as being now on her 15th outing as part of Musicke in the Ayre, Carmel is part of Derbyshire-based ensemble FretWirk, presenting a variety of music for plucked instruments and voice. She has written and performed in her own show ‘Cissie’s Songbook’, based on the music of Ivor Novello.
Din Ghani began playing the lute in 1975, and in the last two decades took up luthery; he has made a number of lutes and other early plucked string instruments, mostly for his own use (including the 7-course lute used in this recital). Since 2007 he has participated regularly as an accompanist in lute song masterclasses given by Dame Emma Kirkby and Evelyn Tubb. The coaching received from the late David Miller and Michael Fields at these events helped hone his accompaniment skills, together with occasional lessons from other top lutenists, most recently from Lynda Sayce and Sam Brown.
The instrument used for this concert will be a 7-course Renaissance lute in E, after Venere, c. 1582. Iroko ribs, neck and pegbox, spruce front, ebony fingerboard, plum pegs and bridge (Din Ghani, 2010)
Programme:
John Dowland (1563-1626) Rest a while, you cruel cares
Thinks’t thou then by thy feigning
Sleep, wayward thoughts
A dream
Flow my tears
Come, heavy sleep
Weep you no more, sad fountains
Resolution
Sweet, stay a while
Awake, sweet love, thou art returned
Come away, come sweet love
Venue Details & Map
Location
St Bride's Church, London EC4
Fleet Street, London EC4Y 8AU