Robert Parsons ~ O bone Jesu
John Sheppard ~ Verbum caro factum est
Christopher Tye ~ Peccavimus cum patribus
Clemens non Papa ~ Ego flos campi
Pierre de Manchicourt ~ Missa Veni Sancte Spiritus
East Anglia’s heyday in the late Middle Ages was based on trade in cloth and other commodities with the near continent. The repertoire for this course sets three Tudor composers associated with the east of England with two of their Franco-Flemish contemporaries. Clemens is chiefly associated with Antwerp and Bruges, which would have been major trading partners with Woodbridge at the time. All but one of the composers were born in the first decade of the 16th century and Parsons a couple of decades later. Most pieces are for six or seven voices.
Eamonn Dougan has been a regular Lacock director for the past twelve years. He is himself a singer and his courses always contain a substantial element of vocal technique. 
He is Associate Conductor of The Sixteen and founding Director of Britten Sinfonia Voices. Eamonn is an engaging communicator with a particular passion for the Sixteenth and Twentieth Century repertoire, Bach, the French and Polish Baroque. Recent engagements have seen Eamonn conduct Così fan tutte at the Ryedale Festival, Fauré Requiem with the newly formed Chiltern Arts Festival Chorus, and Mozart La finta giardiniera with The Orchestra of the Age of Enlightenment Experience Ensemble. Eamonn has a highly successful five-disc Polish Baroque series with The Sixteen. The first disc, music by Bartlomiej Pekiel, was shortlisted for a Gramophone Award (‘Richly dramatic’ – The Observer). The fifth disc, music by Marcin Mielczewski, was released to widespread critical acclaim in September 2017. Since 2008 Eamonn has been a Visiting Professor to the Guildhall School of Music and Drama, London, where he teaches ensemble singing and directs the Guildhall Consort.
Woodbridge
Woodbridge is a gem of a small town on the river Deben in Suffolk, largely unsung until it was named as ‘the happiest place to live in the UK’ in a recent survey.
It has kept the bustle of a market and a port, and borders the Suffolk Coast and Heaths area of outstanding natural beauty. Its 18th century tide mill was an early harnessing of lunar power and the spectacular Anglo-Saxon ship burial site at Sutton Hoo is on the far bank of the river. The course will be held in St Mary’s, the town’s main church in the market square, a fine flint building dating from the early 15th century.
The course
The plan is to invite a group of 36 singers, 6 x SMATBarB. We will convene for an opening 5pm session on Sunday the 31st of August. Then from Monday to Friday our timetable will be:
09.30 – 11.00 first session
11.00 – 11.30 break
11.30 – 13.00 second session
13.00 – 17.30 long break
17.30 – 19.30 third session
We will arrange a supper for everyone together on the first and last evenings (not included in the fee for the course), but let the party split into smaller groups on the other evenings. We will give a public performance in the church in the evening of Friday the 5th of September.
Travel and accommodation
Woodbridge is on Ordnance Survey Explorer Map No. 212 (Woodbridge and Saxmundham). It is easily accessible by road and rail. Woodbridge Station is on the East Suffolk Line with hourly service from Lowestoft and Ipswich, with connexions to London’s Liverpool Street. Train information can be found at www.nationalrail.co.uk or call 08457 484950. Bus information: www.traveline.info or call 0871 200 2233.
You arrange your own accommodation. In addition to the usually channels, these sites list many possibilities: https://www.visitsuffolk.com/destination/woodbridge,
https://www.woodbridgeriversidetrust.org/woodbridge-and-the-deben. The place to stay closest to the course venue would be the Bull Inn at https://www.bullinnwoodbridge.co.uk.
Fees and enrolment
The fee for the course is £640, paid in two parts: a deposit of £330 (or the equivalent in euros) on registration and a further £310 by the end of July. The deposit may be credited to another course if you have to withdraw and we are able to allocate your place to another singer. The fee includes payment for the music booklet, which will be sent to you in advance, but not meals, travel or accommodation. The Woodbridge Music Party is a course for invited singers, but if you have not received an invitation you may register an interest using the form below.
