The World of William Shield

Akenside Players: Anne Marie Christensen (violin) Rebecca Eves (violin) Amélie Addison (cello)

Akenside Players take their name from the poet and physician Mark Akenside, whose essay on 'The Pleasures of the Imagination', inspired by the Northumberland countryside, had a far-reaching effect on eighteenth-century ideas about the perception of beauty. The ensemble formed in 2012 with harpsichordist Masumi Yamamoto, winning that year's Broadwood Ensemble Competition with a programme of English baroque trio somatas, and going on to be featured as Musicians of the Month for April 2013 at London's Handel House Museum.

In 2014 Akenside Players became a string trio exploring repertoire by later eighteenth-century composer: recent highlights include performing in an aquarium at Silkeborg Festival, Denmark!

This programme draws inspiration from Amélie's research here at the University of Leeds into the life and words of the British string-player and composer William Shield (1748-1829): presenting works by composers who influenced him, and exploring his life-long interest in traditional folk music or 'natural airs.'

Clothworkers Centenary Concert Hall

Admission Free