BREMF – BHASVIC Consort of Viols

Viols of all sizes were very popular in Tudor and Stuart Britain but they fell from favour when Charles II preferred the violin, so it is very good news that young folk are taking up what has for so many years been a very niche avocation. The Viola da Gamba Society has lent a selection of beautiful instruments for BHASVIC students to form a consort. Brighton Early Music Festival (BREMF) is keen to foster interest in such green shoots and afford them a platform and plenty of encouragement.

BHASVIC Consort of Viols

Three teenage enthusiasts, Abi, Rob and Mike, played a short and charming concert to a very discerning audience. I don’t mean the cluster of BREMF supporters who had arrived early to hear the BREMF Consort of Voices and the Cavillum Consort of Viols, nor do I mean their attentive viol tutor (Gavin Kibble), who helped with tuning and gave the occasional firm down beat when their ensemble was in danger of splitting, I was referring to the next generation of BHASVIC viol players, sitting in the front row and already after just a few classes fully aware of those flaws, errors and slips which so easily find their way into a public performance. It takes nerve to play in front of your peers but this trio performed with panache, confidence and a generous helping of musicality. If the parts diverged they followed the beat and quickly got back in time, finishing together. Their introductions, too, were well-informed and confident – Bravo! It was all too short so perhaps we can hope to hear them again in a future festival.

Andrew Connal
St Paul’s Church,
16 October 2025

BHASVIC Consort of Viols
Robert Huxley (treble, tenor and bass)
Abi Lock (treble and bass)
Mikey Erskine (bass)

Programme
Jacques Arcadelt 1507-1568 – Dormendo un giorno
Joseph Bodin de Boismortier 1689 – 1755– Sonata
Marin Marais 1656-1728 – Sarabande
Anon. – Pavane, Galliard