The Vauxhall Band is a London-based period instrument ensemble which performs concerts and education projects based on music performed at historically at Vauxhall Gardens and in London in the 18th & 19th centuries. The ensemble is a revival of the name which the group of musicians who played at Vauxhall Gardens were referred to historically. Based on the findings of an ongoing research project, with a focus on music in London, concert programmes are inspired by music which was performed in a variety of social and cultural contexts: from Pleasure Gardens such as Vauxhall, Ranelagh, and Marylebone, to the King’s Theatre and concert rooms. Bringing together leading period instrument specialists and historic dance experts, performing rare and largely unrepresented repertoire, The Vauxhall Band are here to showcase and reaffirm this once-popular glorious music. Recent concerts include St Cecilia’s Hall Edinburgh, Lewes Baroquefest and the Tea House Theatre, Vauxhall Pleasure Gardens, plus education masterclasses and workshops at the Royal College of Music and Graveney School, Tooting.
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The Vauxhall Band
The Vauxhall Band is a collective of leading historical performance specialist musicians, dancers and singers dedicated to performing a wealth of original and unique 18th and 19th century repertoire on period instruments.
Based on the findings of an ongoing research project by Artistic Director Laura Piras, with a focus on music in London, the ensemble, which was formed in 2021, is a revival of the name which the group of musicians who played at Vauxhall Gardens were referred to historically in the 18th century.
We want to bring back to life this glorious music and the incredible social experiences it provided for people from all walks of life in London's pleasure gardens and theatres in as close to its original context as possible.
The way people listen to and present classical music has much changed since it was written hundreds of years ago. Our concerts have a cabaret-style structure, often based on actual repertoire lists from Vauxhall Gardens. We think this way of performing is the perfect way to create a concert space environment which makes classical music more accessible to everyone today.
Orchestral Concerts
Recent orchestral concerts include a celebration of music and dance from the pleasure gardens and theatres of 18th-century London in a collaboration with world-renowned historic dance experts Mary Collins and Steven Player, performing works by Thomas Arne, Samuel Arnold, Handel, Ignatius Sancho and William Boyce. We got the audience up and dancing for this one!
The Vauxhall Band Basset Horn Trio
2023 Saw the launch of the subsidiary group The Vauxhall Band Basset Horn Trio, Fiona Mitchell, Sarah Thurlow and Katherine Spencer. This group is inspired by the three Czech musicians Messrs Dworschak, David and Springer who came to London in 1791 and performed at Vauxhall Pleasure Gardens as a Basset Horn Trio to great acclaim.
The trio went on a UK tour in 2023, which included performances at St Cecilia’s Hall Edinburgh as part of the Edinburgh Fringe Festival (where they performed on an original Griesbacher instrument from 1800 from the museum collection), Lewes Baroquefest and the Tea House Theatre, Vauxhall Pleasure Gardens. They performed works by Mozart and Czech composers Druschetsky and Nudera. There is a CD recording planned for January 2025.
Many people who came to these concerts either didn't know what a basset horn was or hadn't heard it performed before. It was a really great experience to talk to the audience and demonstrate these rare and fascinating instruments, during and after the concerts.
Education
Recent education projects include a Historic Dance Workshop at Graveney School in Tooting, led by Mary Collins and Steven Player. The students loved the project. Here's some of their feedback on what they learned and enjoyed the most:
“The way dances evolved throughout time”
“It helped the rhythm I need to use when playing the piano”
“Don’t be worried about looking silly in front of others”
Read more about this project here.
During a previous long-term education project at Graveney School The Vauxhall Band worked on a Composition Project with the students, who wrote music inspired by Vauxhall Pleasure Gardens, nature and the poetry of John Keats.
In 2023 The Vauxhall Band Basset Horn Trio presented a performance masterclass to the historical performance and modern clarinet degree students in the museum at the Royal College of Music. The students learned about the history of the basset horn and experimented with performing in historical styles.
Future Concerts
We have been invited to hold a Community Historic Dance Workshop as part of the fabulous Classical Vauxhall Festival on the 2nd March 2024. On the 8th April 2024 The Vauxhall Band Basset Horn Trio will perform in the Highgate Salon Concerts series. Included in the ticket price is an 18th-century inspired supper, created by food historian Michelle Berriedale-Johnson.
Ambitions for the Future
We'd like to stage more regular orchestral concerts across the UK, especially ones where we collaborate with singers and dancers in order to create colourful, multi-faceted concerts.
We'd like to record CDs and videos of our work, to make it more accessible to a wider audience.
We'd also like to have the opportunity to develop our education work and carry out projects more regularly.