Richard and Elizabeth York
Musicians, interpreters, education sessions for schools and museums, duo or solo
Contact: Richard or Elizabeth York
01604 639581
Heritage Work
Elizabeth & Richard play an astonishingly large collection of
period style instruments. Performances of high and low music
and songs are often mixed with hands-on participation from the audience,
and dances, explanations, anecdotes, and period stories, all done in a lively & entertaining way.
We rigorously endeavour that all the music we play is of its period, played on suitable instruments for that period.
The medieval collection includes: period style bagpipes, shawm, pipe & tabor, hurdy gurdy, harps - both wire & gut strung, brayed and unbrayed; portative organ, recorders, psalteries, dulcimers, percussion, string drum, key fiddle, and more; not least Elizabeth's much-admired clear-toned voice. But not the dreaded bowed psaltery, for which the evidence is seriously lacking!
Presentations may be indoors or outdoors in a tent,
depending on your setting: we've played at the Tower of London, in medieval
village churches, and many more between.
Richard also works solo events using similar themes, but without the duet arrangements or Elizabeth’s singing.
Education Work
Richard
presents medieval work in schools & museums, mainly to Key Stage 3
pupils. Again, the vast array of instruments, with a quite unusual
amount of opportunities for hands-on work, are allied to dance,
stories, discussion of many themes in medieval life and culture, and
more.
Long experience as a full time teacher with B.Ed (Hons.,
1st) also helps in presentations to groups whether in schools, stately
homes, or to adult education groups.
Richard has now met Ofsted 9 times, and each time they have expressed approval.
