Benjamin Bayl is co-founder and Principal Guest Conductor of the period instrument Australian Romantic & Classical Orchestra (ARCO) and Associate Director of The Hanover Band. Holding both Dutch and Australian nationalities, he was the first Australian Organ Scholar of King’s College Cambridge, and then studied conducting at the Royal Academy of Music with Colin Metters and George Hurst. An alumnus of the National Opera Studio, he became Assistant Conductor to the Budapest Festival Orchestra and Iván Fischer in 2006, and was also mentored by and assisted Sir John Eliot Gardiner, Yannick Nézet-Séguin, Richard Hickox, Harry Bicket and Ivor Bolton. From 2007-2010 he served as Assistant Artistic Director to the Gabrieli Consort & Paul McCreesh, and also worked with Fischer and the Konzerthausorchester Berlin.

He recently made his conducting debut in the Amsterdam Concertgebouw with Collegium Vocale Gent and Akademie für Alte Musik Berlin, and was immediately re-invited to conduct them on a European tour with the music of CPE Bach in the 18/19 Season. Working extensively in the early music field (both as conductor or directing from the keyboard) recent and regular collaborations include The Hanover Band, Concerto Copenhagen, Concerto Köln, Wroclaw Baroque Orchestra, and Warsaw Chamber Opera.

In the realm of opera, he has conducted at Wiener Staatsoper (Fatima oder von den mutigen Kindern), Dutch National Opera (Il matrimonio segreto), Staatsoper Berlin (Fairy Queen / AscheMond), Royal Danish Opera (Don Giovanni), Danish National Opera (Così fan tutte), Opera Vlaanderen (Idomeneo), Opera Australia (Orlando), Opera de Oviedo (Agrippina & Le nozze di Figaro), Budapest State Opera (Fairy Queen), Polish National Opera (La clemenza di Tito), Deutsche Oper am Rhein & Teatro Comunale di Sassari (Carmen), NorrlandsOperan (Le nozze di Figaro), Warsaw Chamber Opera (Pygmalion) and Nordic Opera (L’incoronazione di Poppea & Cavalli’s Gli amore d’Apollo e di Dafne), working with eminent stage directors such as Claus Guth, Mariame Clément, Ivo van Hove, David Bösch and Guy Joosten.

Benjamin has made highly successful debuts in recent seasons with such orchestras as Mahler Chamber Orchestra (Musikfest Berlin in the Berlin Philharmonie, and Ruhrtrienniale Festival), Hong Kong Philharmonic Orchestra, Malaysian Philharmonic Orchestra, Royal Philharmonic Orchestra, Orquesta Sinfónica del Principado de Asturias, Taipei Symphony Orchestra, Bochumer Symphoniker, Britten Sinfonia, Netherlands Youth Orchestra, Orchestra Haydn di Bolzano, and Orchestra Filharmonica di Torino, as well as numerous orchestras throughout Scandinavia, conducting a broad range of repertoire from the great Viennese classics, historically informed Baroque and Romantic works, and new commissions. He is often invited to present the great oratorios of Bach, Handel, Mozart and Haydn.
Current and forthcoming season highlights include concerts with Malaysian Philharmonic & Hong Kong Philharmonic Orchestras, Orchestra Haydn di Bolzano, Orchestra Sinfonica G.Rossini, Stavanger Symphony Orchestra, Bremer Philharmoniker, ARCO, Orchestra of the Australian National Academy of Music (ANAM) in the Melbourne Festival, Orchestra i Pomeriggi Musicali, Croatian Baroque Orchestra, a tour of China with The Hanover Band, a tour of Europe with B’Rock and Vocalconsort Berlin, La finta semplice and Lully’s Armide at Warsaw Chamber Opera, La Clemenza di Tito at Polish National Opera, Così fan tutte in the Cartagena Festival Colombia, and the Young Euro Classic Festival in Berlin.

www.benjaminbayl.com

Andrew Arthur is Fellow, Director of Studies and Director of Music at Trinity Hall, Cambridge, and an Affiliated Lecturer in the Faculty of Music.

He read Music at Gonville & Caius College, Cambridge, where he was also Organ Scholar, studying with Nicolas Kynaston, Jacques van Oortmerssen and Geoffrey Webber. During this time as an undergraduate he also served regularly as a volunteer lay-clerk in the chapel choir of St John’s College under Christopher Robinson. In 1997, upon graduating from Caius, he was appointed Acting Precentor of the College.

Andrew Arthur now lectures and examines regularly for the Faculty of Music. His principal research – led by his performing interests – has focussed upon English music of the Restoration period and North German music of the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries. He teaches Harmony and Counterpoint and provides regular seminars, master classes and one-to-one coaching in conducting and historically informed keyboard playing. He is Coordinator of the Cambridge University Intercollegiate Organ Scholarship Scheme and Chairman of the Cambridge Organ Scholars’ Forum which runs a series of master classes for Organ Scholars across the University. He also sits, ex officio, on the committee of the Cambridge Academy of Organ Studies.

Alongside his busy University schedule, Andrew Arthur is highly regarded on the concert platform and has appeared at many prestigious international festivals. An acknowledged specialist in the music of the Baroque and Classical periods, he currently holds the positions of Associate Director of The Hanover Band, Principal Conductor of the Euterpe Baroque Consort based in Belgium and Musical Director of his own period-instrument ensemble and vocal consort, Orpheus Britannicus.

In addition to his work as a choral and orchestral conductor, Andrew maintains a passionate commitment to keyboard playing – his solo engagements encompassing organ, harpsichord and fortepiano literature. Alongside his regular appearances as a recitalist and concerto soloist, he remains in great demand as a continuo player with several of London’s leading period-instrument ensembles. He has also worked regularly in partnership with the eminent baroque violinists Elizabeth Wallfisch and Theresa Caudle. Andrew holds the position of Principal Organist & Harpsichordist at the renowned Carmel Bach Festival in California where he also sits on the Committee of Artistic Directors and is currently involved in performing a complete cycle of J.S. Bach’s organ works.

Andrew Arthur appears frequently on Television and Radio broadcasts across Europe and the USA, and has played on numerous CD and DVD recordings for the BBC, ASV, Soli Deo Gloria, Opera Rara, Griffin and Priory Records, all of which have been met with enthusiastic praise in the musical Press. In 2007, he toured the UK performing the complete organ works of Dieterich Buxtehude, marking the composer’s tercentenary year. As a conclusion to this tour, he recorded a double-CD entitled ‘The Buxtehude Influence’ – the first recording to be made on the fine Danish organ by Carsten Lund at Trinity Hall. He has also recently released a solo harpsichord CD recorded on the college’s brilliant new harpsichord by Andrew Garlick, after Goujon, 1748.

Alongside his busy concert and teaching schedule, Andrew has maintained a life-long commitment to liturgical music, an interest nurtured initially through his early training as a Cathedral chorister and subsequently as organ scholar and Acting Precentor at Gonville & Caius College, Cambridge and as deputy Lay-Clerk at St John’s College, Cambridge. He has since held the positions of Associate Director of Music at the world-famous Butterfield Church of All Saints, Margaret Street and Deputy Master of Music of the Chapels Royal, HM Tower of London. At present, he works throughout the academic year training the Organ Scholars and conducting the Chapel Choir at Trinity Hall with whom, in addition to their regular schedule of services in the College Chapel, he undertakes a number of concerts and foreign tours.

Jorge’s passion for the violin and for music of the highest quality has lead him to direct, conduct and lead international ensembles throughout Europe. He is renowned for his thorough and exciting approach, performing music in the style and on the instruments it was intended for, from Medieval to 21st century.

Jorge is founder and director of Xacona, ensemble in residence in Girton College Cambridge. Making their London debut in the Wigmore Hall in London in 2005 and having performed widely in Spain, Holland, Germany and throughout the UK.

In 2008, Jorge founded Tercia Realidad for which he has created and directed programmes presented at festivals and venues such as Oude Muziek Festival in Utrecht (FF), Jardines del Real Alcazar in Sevilla, Colegio de Los Ingleses in Valladolid, Circulo de las Artes de Lugo, Universidad de Huelva, Albert Long Hall in Istanbul, Stary Sacz Festival in Poland, amongst others.

Jorge is also invited to lead groups such as Forma Antiqva (Oviedo-Spain), La Tempestad (Murcia-Spain), The Retrospect Ensemble (London-UK), The Scholars Baroque Ensemble (UK), Accademia dei Desiosi (Italy), L’Harmonia del Parnas, and Solistas de la Orquesta Barroca de Sevilla, among others.

Leading and conducting appointments involve guest concertmaster at the Spanish Orquesta del Principado de Asturias, the Belgian Philarmonic Orkest van de Vlaamse Opera and Capella Cracovensis in Poland as well as appearances as guest director of the new Berlin based opera company Kiez Oper and the Festival Bachowski Swidnica Orchestra in Poland.

Jorge has recorded for labels such as Atlantic Records, Naxos, Hyperion, DLR-Capriccio, Lindoro, La Ma de Guido, Prometeo amongst others.

As a soloist, Jorge has toured widely Europe and South America and has performed recitals in Istanbul, Sevilla, Barcelona, London, Manchester, Berlin, Madrid, Paris, Varazdin, Cochabamba. His versatility and enthusiasm for interpreting different repertoires led the Dutch foundation JumpstartJr to lend Jorge a Vincenzo Ruggieri from 1680 made in Cremona and a 1797 neapolitan J & A Gagliano. In the 2018-2019 season Jorge will appear as musical director and soloist in the production of The Globe “4Seasons” with more than 40 performances interpreting Max Richter’s version of the 4 Vivaldi Stations. Also as Musical Director of “The Secret Theatre” premiering music by Alexander Balanescu. 

​In March, Jorge will direct the world premiere of his creation “EVENSONG: The British Vespers” at the prestigious Misteria Paschalia festival in Krakow (Poland). 
In May, Jorge will appear as one of the guest conductors of the project “Haydn Extreme” of Capella Cracoviensis (Poland) which will take the Polish orchestra to interpret ALL Haydn’s symphonies until the composer’s anniversary in 2024. 

www.jorge-jimenez.es

Theresa Caudle comes from a musical family with a particularly keen interest in renaissance and baroque music. Having studied the violin from an early age, Theresa took up the cornett at the age of thirteen, becoming one of the foremost performers on it whilst still a teenager and a pioneer in the revival of this instrument, being the first person to play it at a professional level with the authentic, acorn shaped mouthpiece. Whilst still at school she took part in many professional concerts and recordings with groups such as Musica Reservata, The William Byrd Choir and The Academy of St. Martin in the Fields, and celebrated leaving school by going to Berlin the next day to play in a European Union broadcast performance of Monteverdi’s “L’Orfeo” in the Berlin Philharmonic Hall! Theresa then pursued her studies on the violin at The Guildhall School of Music and Drama where she was awarded a scholarship to study the baroque violin, and was the first person to receive a diploma on that instrument.

Theresa regularly leads The Hanover Band, and plays with The London Handel Orchestra and The Monteverdi String Band. However she is now very active running and directing her own ensemble Canzona, formed in 1992, both in chamber music concerts and in collaborations with choirs. With this ensemble she has been proud to lead many performances of the great baroque masterpieces by Bach and Handel for conductors such as Harry Christophers, Stephen Layton and Brian Kay, and to play with many wonderful singers such as James Bowman, Emma Kirkby and Peter Harvey.  In addition to leading Canzona, Theresa has led many other orchestras such as The Sixteen, English Touring Opera’s baroque orchestra The Old Street Band,The Drottningholm Court Theatre Orchestra and the Polish group, L’arte dei Suonatore. She is also the leader of Orpheus Britannicus, resident ensemble at Trinity Hall College, Cambridge.

Theresa enjoys teaching at all levels and ages and has several private pupils. She has coached at The Royal Academy of Music and at Birmingham and Leeds Universities and has acted as a specialist examiner for final recitals at The Royal Academy and Royal College of Music. She runs several courses in baroque playing styles at Benslow Music Trust in Hitchin and at Jackdaws near Frome, and is artistic director of “Baroque Week”, now held at Queen Anne’s School, Caversham. In 2004 she was one of the professors on “The Winter School” course for baroque music in Dubrovnik, which gathered students from throughout the former Yugoslavia. That visit led to a fruitful collaboration with the leader of the Croatian Baroque Ensemble and Theresa has revisited Croatia several times since to direct programmes with this ensemble and to coach students at the Academy in Zagreb in baroque performance practice.  

Although Theresa never entirely forsook the cornett, recently she has been devoting more time and energy to it; her recording of seventeenth century Italian sonatas “Violino o Cornetto”, on which she plays both cornett and violin, was released on the Nimbus Alliance label in 2010.