The Brook Street Band

Taking its name from the London street where George Frederick Handel lived from 1723 until his death in 1759, the Brook Street Band was founded in 1996 by Baroque cellist Tatty Theo. Over time the ensemble has grown into a leading period-instrument group devoted to Handel’s output, presenting both his chamber music and joint projects with larger ensembles. A frequent presence on BBC 3, the Brook Street Band has appeared at the Dartington International Summer School, the Barcelona Early Music Festival, and the Kuhmo Chamber Music Festival, while also launching its own Norfolk festival, love: Handel. Regular engagements at London’s Wigmore Hall have further strengthened its profile.

New repertoire has been developed through commissions that pair fresh texts with existing Handel scores, an ongoing collaboration involving writers such as Louis de Bernières and Alasdair Middleton. The ensemble also devised the schools project Getting a Handle on Handel, which prompted composer Matthew King to create the oratorio Il Pastorale, L’Urbino e Il Suburbano as a counterpart to Handel’s L’Allegro, Il Penseroso ed Il Moderato.

Its first Avie recording, issued in 2004, presented The “Oxford” Water Music alongside related pieces by Corelli, Geminiani, and Leclair. Subsequent Avie releases have included works by Johann Sebastian Bach and Carl Philipp Emanuel Bach as well as additional Handel items; the first volume of Handel trio sonatas appeared in 2013. In 2017 the personnel comprised, alongside Theo, Swedish-born violinist Rachel Harris, violinist Farran Scott, harpsichordist Carolyn Gibley, and Portuguese-British recorder player Lisete da Silva Bull. Soprano Nicki Kennedy maintains a longstanding association with the group in Handel’s vocal music.