London International Festival of Early Music explained

The London International Festival of Early Music (LIFEM) is an English music festival which is devoted mainly to Baroque and Renaissance music. It takes place each November in Blackheath, London, at Blackheath Halls.

History

The festival was founded in 1973 and initially took place at the Royal College of Music before moving to the Old Royal Naval College, Greenwich, and taking on the name Greenwich Early Music Festival. Each year, the Festival invites performers and exhibitors from across the world to perform concerts and exhibit their goods.[1] As well as Baroque music, LIFEM commissions new works for performance by the visiting ensembles (in 2020, they commissioned John Paul Jones to write The Tudor Pull for Fretwork[2] [3]).

The festival has been known by several names in its history. It operated as the Greenwich Early Music Festival until 2016, when it made what was expected to be a temporary move to Blackheath.[4] Throughout its history it has had a close relationship with The Early Music Shop, which supports and runs the Festival.

During the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020 a series of recorded concerts under the name LIFEM: Digital replaced in-person events.[5] The festival also became a registered charity in 2020,[6] and appointed its first artistic director, Gill Graham. The trustees are Susannah Simons, Tony Millyard, Caro Barnfield and Chris Butler.[7]

Competitions

Since the competition was established in 1985, LIFEM has hosted the final of the Society of Recorder Players / Moeck Competition for solo recorder performance. Winners of the biennial competition receive cash prizes and perform a solo recital at LIFEM in the year following their win.

Previous winners have included Tabea Debus,[8] Piers Adams,[9] Robert Ehrlich,[10] Ashley Solomon and Chris Orton.[11]

The LIFEM Young Ensemble Award is a biennial competition for ensembles specialising in historical performance practise and was established in 2018.

Previous winners:

• 2018: Palisander & Pypker/Muskens Duo

• 2020: Ensemble Pro Victoria & Ensemble Hesperi.[12]

Past performers / exhibitors at LIFEM

See also

External links

Notes and References

  1. Web site: Hedley . Miles . LONDON INTERNATIONAL FESTIVAL OF EARLY MUSIC at Blackheath . Greenwich Visitor . 10 November 2019 . 24 July 2021.
  2. Web site: JPJ COMMISSIONED BY LONDON INTERNATIONAL FESTIVAL OF EARLY MUSIC . Led Zeppelin forum . 24 July 2021.
  3. Web site: The Tudor Pull (John Paul Jones) performed by Fretwork at LIFEM 2020 . Fretwork - The Tudor Pull . 27 July 2021.
  4. Web site: Temporary venue for Greenwich International Early Music Festival 2016 . Rhinegold . 27 July 2021.
  5. News: Fairman . Richard . Classical music thrives online with early music festival and LSO concert . 24 July 2021 . 10 November 2020.
  6. Web site: Governing document for LIFEM . Charity Commission . 24 July 2021.
  7. Web site: THE LONDON INTERNATIONAL FESTIVAL OF EARLY MUSIC CIO . Register of Charities . Charity Commission for England and Wales . 8 November 2021.
  8. News: Hedley . Miles . THE LONDON INTERNATIONAL FESTIVAL OF EARLY MUSIC Online with headline concerts filmed in Blackheath . 27 July 2021.
  9. Web site: MOECK/SOCIETY OF RECORDER PLAYERS SOLO RECORDER PLAYING COMPETITION . Help Musicians UK . 27 July 2021.
  10. In 1989. See overview previous winners. Retrieved 26 March 2022.
  11. Web site: Chris Orton - Tutor in Recorder . Royal Northern College of Music . 27 July 2021.
  12. Web site: LIFEM Young Ensemble Competition . LIFEM.
  13. Web site: The London International Festival of Early Music . Chethams School of Music . 24 July 2021.
  14. Web site: BBC Radio 3 - The Early Music Show . BBC . 24 July 2021.
  15. News: Jeal . Erica . Fretwork review – John Paul Jones opens LIFEM with idiosyncratic and effective new work . 24 July 2021 . 6 November 2020.
  16. Web site: Feature Review – Greenwich International Festival & Exhibition of Early Music 2005 . Classical Source . 27 July 2021.
  17. Web site: Mahan Esfahani blog . Mahan Esfahani . 24 July 2021.
  18. Web site: Tabea Debus in Concert . 2022-03-05 . London International Festival of Early Music . en.
  19. Web site: Andrew Benson-Wilson . 2018-11-16 . London International Exhibition of Early Music . 2022-03-05 . Andrew Benson-Wilson : Early Music Reviews + . en-GB.
  20. Web site: Olwen Foulkes - Concerts . Olwen Foulkes . 24 July 2021.
  21. Web site: London International Early Music Festival in November . PIVA - The Renaissance Collective . 24 July 2021 . 4 September 2018.
  22. Web site: Royal Greenwich Early Music Festival . Klop . 10 November 2014 . 27 July 2021.
  23. Web site: March 2015 . Red Priest . 27 July 2021.
  24. Web site: Agenda . Sarah Jeffery . 24 July 2021.
  25. Web site: Search MusicalCriticism.com Greenwich Early Music Festival 2008 . Musical Criticism . 27 July 2021.
  26. Web site: The Lute Society: Thinking of Taking up the Lute . The Lute Society . 27 July 2021.
  27. Web site: Celestial Conflict and Resolution . Thomas Tallis Society email . 24 July 2021.
  28. Web site: Events – Anders Muskens . Anders Muskens . 24 July 2021.

This article is licensed under the GNU Free Documentation License. It uses material from the Wikipedia article "London International Festival of Early Music".

Except where otherwise indicated, Everything.Explained.Today is © Copyright 2009-2024, A B Cryer, All Rights Reserved. Cookie policy.