Saturday 2nd – Saturday 9th August 2025, Barnard Castle, County Durham
See photo gallery – 2025 photo selection
NORVIS 2025 was an absolutely splendid week, the 53rd NORVIS course, hugely enjoyed by the 93 players, some non-playing companions and a bigger-than-usual team of 15 tutors under the guidance and leadership of Dr Andrew Fowler, our musical director. As usual, our participants represented many countries around the world as well as the UK. Around 1/3 are new to NORVIS and 2/3 loyal returnees. It is so impressive that people want to travel to NORVIS from Sweden, Norway, Netherlands, France, Spain, Germany, Ireland, Czech Republic and the USA.
This year, we welcomed back two of our lovely recorder tutors, Jane Rumney and Oonagh Lee, who hadn’t been available last year. With a bumper crop of recorder players, we invited Lou Bradbury to come for a second year running and join our team (also Chris Orton and Mary Tyers). Annabel Knight came to NORVIS again, this year offering a baroque flute class for the first time. In the keyboard department, we invited Nathaniel Mander to join John Treherne so that our players would get and enhanced ‘on keys’ time in their tuition class. Our regular team of Jacqui Robertson-Wade, Alison Kinder, Susanna Pell and Peter Wendland made up the viol department, with Richard MacKenzie teaching lutes and early guitars and Andrew Fowler teaching the consort singing class. Chris Orton was very busy organising the classes and second session Baroque chamber music groups, as well as conducting NORVIS Baroque orchestra with Oonagh Lee supporting wind players in the orchestra. Andrew directed the Choir and Peter Wendland the Recorder Ensemble. Our amazing course accompanist, Tim Harper, continued his role of playing any keyboard in any key required – a huge talent!
One of the added bonuses of NORVIS is the services and extras we provide – Julie Dean and London Recorder Shop servicing recorders as well as offering instruments and accessories for sale; Merion Attwood repairing and advising on viols as well as offering his own make viols for sale; Jacks, Pipes and Hammers music shop all week and the Early Music Shop for the first half of the week; Rondo Publications were taking orders and AK Publications were on sale. We also enjoyed our annual visit from Richard and Vivien Jones and their Renaissance viols. Wednesday evening saw a splendid concert from the Renaissance music group PIVA.
The format of NORVIS remains constant – a tuition class each morning, followed by Baroque chamber music and other guided groups, allowing participants the chance to play music together in a wide range of combinations, coached on a rota basis by the tutors. Many players use this as a chance to play other instruments than their first study. This opportunity continues in orchestra after lunch, where many transform from violists and recorder players into skilful Baroque string and woodwind players under Chris’ and Oonagh’s guidance. In the recorder ensemble, the performance in Friday’s concert showed the precision playing in polychoral music by choirs of recorders at different pitches (16′, 8′, 4′, etc.) which they had been learning during the week with Peter. Meanwhile, Andrew moulds all-comers into a convincing choir, tackling some challenging music by Gibbons, Palestrina and Handel. You can read all about the lovely performances in the concert programmes linked from this page.
The end of each afternoon (except Wednesday’s lunga pausa excepted as a brief time to recover) sees the Choice of Delights, a fantastic variety of activities to try put on by the tutors (see the listing linked from this page). On Wednesday a group went ‘next door’ to the Bowes Museum to see the famous and historic automaton of the Silver Swan operating, if briefly, and to have a guided or self-guided tour of the considerable collections of ceramics, paintings, etc. Thursday afternoon also saw the Annual General Meeting of NORVIS in which the business of the charity was reviewed, elections held and the new ‘members’ (the participants) of the charity could find out a bit more about how it all works.
NORVIS is nothing if not exhausting through its relentless opportunity to take part or listen in! Each lunchtime, there is a short, informal ‘Prom concert’ for groups or individuals to play a piece to a friendly audience. Each evening, there is a concert or other activity, social time with the honesty bar open and, on some evenings, a final ‘Epilogue’ at the end of the day. (Even this doesn’t stop some late playing into the small hours.) Well, this year we had very fine concerts indeed. On Sunday, it was ‘What is our Life?’ an Orlando Gibbons tribute on the 400th anniversary of his death, compiled by Andrew and involving the tutors and some of the course participants. Monday’s concert was ‘Summer in Venice’, inspired by the 500th anniversary of the birth of Palestrina. It was followed by a celebratory glass to remember absent friends and to salute NORVIS! Tuesday and Thursday concerts saw the two largely course participant performances. On Wednesday, we were all audience members and were entertained by PIVA, the Rennaissance Collective, who gave a tremendous programme on a wide range of instruments. Friday’s final concert repeated one or two highlights of the week and continued the ‘Summer in Venice’ theme.
The annual raffle, in aid of the generous NORVIS Bursary Fund, and post-concert relaxation brought a satisfying end to the course. Saturday morning was there again, this time to pack up, tidy, clear and depart. The many harpsichords and spinets were rounded up by John Treherne and their various owners, and, somehow, all evidence of NORVIS having been there was whisked away. Thanks to Barnard Castle School for their welcome, especially the domestic staff for their care and friendliness. Thanks to everyone who took part in NORVIS 2024 in whatever way. Well done!
NORVIS 2026 starts on Saturday 1st August next year!
Choice of Delights listing: Choice of Delights NORVIS 2025
Sunday evening tutor concert concert: What is our Life? Orlando Gibbons tribute on the 400th anniversary of his death: Sunday concert programme
Monday evening tutor concert: Summer in Venice: Monday concert programme
Tuesday evening student and tutor concert: Tuesday concert programme
Wednesday evening: concert by PIVA- The Renaissance Collective
Thursday evening student and tutor concert: Thursday concert programme
Friday evening final concert: Friday concert programme
NORVIS - Early Music Summer School 