Information for Promotors

 

Biography, 2022. 

 

The original MUSICAL AND AMICABLE SOCIETY was founded in 1762 by James Kempson, who directed the choir at St Bartholomew’s Chapel, Birmingham. Together with fellow musicians from St Philip’s Church (now Birmingham Cathedral), Kempson and his singers gathered on a regular basis at Cooke’s tavern in the Cherry Orchard “for practice and recreation”!  In 2003, Kate Fawcett and Martin Perkins decided to revive this historic society as a collective of professional period-instrument specialists, performing in combinations ranging from small ensembles to full orchestras. Our presiding ethos is one of chamber music – however large or small the formation – where each and every performer has a significant role to play.  After a disconcertingly silent year, we were beyond delighted to be able to get back to making joyful noise last summer, appearing at the Three Choirs Festival.  Our current season has so far included recitals in Tewkesbury, Culmstock and Hoarwithy, as well as performing Mozart with our good friends at Cheltenham Bach Choir, Gluck’s Orfeo in Oxford and a glorious Messiah in Southwell Minster.  Our third invitation to the Three Choirs Festival saw us performing Haydn’s Creation and a specially-curated late-night performance of Bach’s Art of Fugue.

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In its original incarnation, the Musical and Amicable Society issued a printed code of rules for its members, bearing the following motto - which today's Society endorses as heartily as we did a decade ago!

 

"To our Musical Club here's long Life and Prosperity

May it flourish with us and so on to posterity

May Concord and Harmony always abound

And Divisions here only in our Music be found

May the Catch and the Glass go about and about

And another succeed to the Bottle that's out"

 

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