Cardiff Baroque is a chamber group that plays music from the baroque and early classical periods (approx 160o through to 1800 CE). It was formed in 2022 and brings together both professional and amateur musicians who love, and want to play, Baroque music. Our first concert was given at St Edward’s Church, Blenheim Road, Cardiff on Saturday 21st October 2023.
Thus far, we have played music from Heny Purcell, William Boyce, J S Bach, Georg Telemann, Archangelo Corelli, G F Handel and Jean-Philippe Rameau. This season (2025) we will play Josef Haydn’s Symphony # 1 and music by C P E Bach; both firsts for us.
Initially, we were only string players plus continuo and directed by our leader Pippa Cotterill, but over time (and four concerts later) we have grown: extra string players plus woodwind players have increased our number to around twenty and we are now conducted by Michael Bell MBE.
The membership of Cardiff Baroque is by invitation only and are usually people already known to us; often from The Cardiff Philharmonic Orchestra, The City of Cardiff Symphony Orchestra, Cardiff Chamber Orchestra and Porthcawl Community Orchestra. Cardiff Baroque is not a period band: We play on modern instruments, tune to A=440Hz and rely on our conductor to maximise the impact and musicality of any work we are playing.
Cardiff baroque is a registered charity #1213636.