Campaign Overview
ANON is a pioneering early‑music ensemble on a unique mission to rediscover, perform, and celebrate the music of composers whose identities are no longer known. Through innovative programming and historically informed performances, we invite audiences to experience music in its purest form, liberated from preconceived influence of authorship or fame. ANON aims to provide inspiring and thought-provoking musical experiences, and spark critical conversations about art, identity and erasure.
Our Artistic Vision
Embracing Anonymity
Anonymity is not merely an archival curiosity. It is an artistic phenomenon that challenges how we evaluate and appreciate art. When there is no name on the score or the canvas, we are pushed to confront deeper questions about our artistic experience; how we listen, how we interpret, and how we find meaning. When we don't know the full story behind a piece of music, we are able to engage more deeply with the music itself, where we respond to its immediate qualities rather than filtering our experience through our own biases and preconceptions.
Thomas qui dicitur Didymus, Anonymous. From the Promptuarium Musicum
Confronting Erasure
The study of anonymous music also forces us to confront that uncomfortable intersection of art, power and identity. Anonymity is not always the accidental byproduct of historical forgetfulness, damaged pages or bad archival practices. It is often the result of deliberate erasure. Throughout history we see attempts to scrub composers such as Leonora d'Este, Teodoro Riccio and Dominique Phinot from the pages of history because they did not conform to the prevailing expectations of gender, beliefs or societal and institutional orthodoxy. These few cases are known to us only because the attempt to erase them was unsuccessful, yet how many more composers have been lost to history, their identities obscured because they were at odds with the societies in which they worked? ANON shines a light on these suppressed voices, asking: how many masterpieces have vanished because their creators did not “fit” the conventional norms of their time?
Why Your Support Matters
With your backing, ANON will:
- Fuel Archival Research. Your donations will help us explore libraries and archives across Europe, uncovering anonymous manuscripts that have never been heard in modern performance.
- Create Scholarly Editions. Many of the works we discover exist only in manuscript form. Your support will allow us to prepare professional, historically informed editions, making this music readable, singable, and ready to return to life.
- Fund Professional Recording Sessions. Help us capture these rediscovered works in high-quality audio and video, so they can be shared with a wider audience and preserved for future generations.
- Launch a Dynamic Website. We are building an interactive digital platform where listeners can explore our discoveries, hear recordings, read about the stories behind the music, and, in time, purchase editions to perform themselves.
- Perform More Recitals and Concerts. Music only truly exists when it is heard. Your support will enable us to perform these works live in cathedrals, churches, concert halls, and community venues, bringing the voices of forgotten composers back into the present.
Who Are We?
Thomas Wilson, Artistic Director
Thomas has dedicated his career to the study of the weird and wonderful backwaters of early music history. He founded ANON in 2023 after discovering an exquisite setting of 'O Vos Omnes' in a set of old forgotten part books. Clearly the work of a great genius, he was initially frustrated at the lack of attributions or clues to the composer’s identity. Whereas most people would mutter “how annoying,” and move on, Thomas' frustration eventually gave way to a realisation that the anonymity was part of its mystery, its story, and its beauty.
Through ANON, Thomas continues his lifelong calling to explore the hidden corners of music history, driven by a belief that anonymity is a feature, not a flaw.
The Musicians
The professional musicians of ANON are drawn from across the UK, united by a shared commitment to artistry, research, and the rediscovery of music by composers whose names have been lost to history. The ensemble brings together performers from a range of backgrounds—seasoned cathedral lay vicars, versatile soloists, early-career singers, and gifted instrumentalists—with a shared passion for thoughtful, historically engaged performance.
At its core is ANON’s chamber choir, an ensemble whose members are as comfortable in cathedral choir stalls as they are on concert platforms. The group has particularly strong ties to the choral tradition of Lincoln Cathedral. Many of ANON’s singers have, at some point in their careers, been members of the professional back row of the Cathedral Choir. ANON’s chamber choir has already given a number of acclaimed recitals, including appearances at St Mary’s Church in Painswick and the Chapter House of Lincoln Cathedral.
Collectively, ANON’s performers bring a wealth of professional experience and a collaborative spirit to the task of rediscovering, editing and reviving forgotten works. Together, they form a committed ensemble of specialists and advocates, giving voice to music that has too often gone unheard.
What’s Next For Us
Research & Discovery: We are continuing to identify anonymous works, exploring archives and libraries across Europe. Each discovery leads to careful study, historical analysis, and the creation of new editions—bringing these long-silent voices back to life.
Edition Preparation: Our editorial work turns manuscripts into singable, shareable scores. We aim to produce professional editions that respect both the historical sources and the practical needs of modern performers.
Digital Platform: We are building a multimedia website that will serve as a living archive for ANON’s work. Visitors will be able to explore scores, listen to recordings, read articles and commentary, and, eventually, download editions for their own use.
Concert Launch: Saturday 2nd August – Save the Date! Our official launch concert in the wonderful setting of Lincoln Cathedral will give us an opportunity to share with you even more of the enchanting music we have been able to discover. ANON will be performing a ‘Concert of Forgotten Music’, a carefully curated exhibition of anonymous late renaissance and early baroque pieces for choir and organ found in neglected and overlooked sources from across Europe. The music has likely never before been heard by a modern audience.
Tickets are available from Eventbrite here (if they are not already included in your patronage tier): ANON Launch Concert Tickets
Join Us in Reviving Lost Voices
Help us reclaim these musical treasures and spark critical conversations about art, identity, and the power structures that shape cultural memory. Every gift, large or small, brings us closer to a richer, more inclusive musical heritage.
Thank you for helping to make the unheard heard.