New Solihull Memory Singers for people living with dementia launches

Following the success of Warwick Memory Singers, Armonico Consort is delighted to announce the launch of its second community choir for people living with dementia and their carers. Solihull Memory Singers launches on Thursday 16 January 2025 and will meet fortnightly at The Onward Club, 107 Helmswood Drive, Chelmsley Wood, B37 7NS. Led by Armonico’s

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James May & Oz Clarke reunite to support charity’s community music projects

TV celebrities Oz Clarke and James May reunited in support of Warwick-based music charity Armonico Consort’s outreach, education and community music projects. The ‘Oz & James’s Big Wine Adventure’ stars joined Armonico’s cycling musicians for a three-day fundraising tour last week (15-17 October) giving pop-up performances in pubs and cafés in and around the Warwick

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Care home residents enjoy mini concert from Oz Clarke and cycling musicians

Musicians from the music charity Armonico Consort, sang and played for residents at River Meadows Care Centre, Warwickshire, Marston Court care home, Oxford (for residents of Marston Court and Isis House care homes), Meadowcroft, Thame, Dementia Action day centre, Marlow, Eton College – for residents of St Mark’s care home, Windsor, St Giles’s View Care Home, Winchester, Hartwood House, Lyndhurst, Lighthouse, Poole (for residents of Kingland House), The Lindsay, and The Links care homes, from the 10th to the 13th of September 2024, alongside TV presenter, wine expert and singer Oz Clarke.

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Oz & Armonico Cycle and Sing for Dementia

Oz & Armonico Cycle & Sing for Dementia hits the road on Tuesday 10 September on its sixth epic charity bike challenge to raise £20,000 for singing projects for people living with dementia. TV personality, wine writer and all round super supporter Oz Clarke again heads up the 4 day ride.  The singing cyclists will

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Children with special educational needs steal the Royal Albert Hall show

Excitement overflowed at the Royal Albert Hall last week as children from Special Schools in Coventry performed their own newly-penned song to an audience of 5000 people. The youngsters from Baginton Fields Academy and Sherbourne Fields School, all of whom have moderate to profound special educational needs, performed their piece …

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Encore Appeal Final Update: We’re Climbing Snowdon!

After a fantastic final Encore Appeal push, Armonico Consort’s Christopher Monks confirms he (together with President Roger Medwell DL MBE and professional musicians) will climb Snowdon, carrying his keyboard on his back!

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Encore Appeal Update 4: Here’s what you’ve achieved

A message from Christopher Monks, Artistic Director of Armonico Consort: Dear Friends.  I’m sure you’ve been waiting with bated breath to hear about the grand finale of our Encore Appeal.  But first, I want to say a huge personal thank you to each one of you – Patrons,  volunteers, businesses, charitable trusts and foundations and

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Auction raises over £14K for Encore Appeal

Armonico Consort hosted a fantastic ‘Once in a Lifetime’ auction on the 15th November, raising a huge £14,662 towards our Encore Appeal, which has been funding our core educational and community activities in 2023. The event was attended by 70 people and was led by Griffin’s Auctioneers and Valuers …

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Encore Appeal Update 3: A Heartwarming Journey

Armonico Consort’s Encore Appeal is proving to be a remarkable and heartwarming journey. Thanks to your incredible generosity,  we have raised the outstanding sum of £219,096 so far towards our target of £300,000. 

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Armonico Consort launches once in a lifetime auction to support The Encore Appeal

Over 30 once-in-a-lifetime experiences and unique pieces, from music and culture to sport and heritage, will go under the hammer on Wednesday 15 November 2023 as part of Armonico Consort’s Encore Appeal. Among the incredible prizes is the chance to meet a prog rock legend, have a music concert in your own home, enjoy a wine tasting with a TV celebrity …

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Oz & Armonico Bike Challenge 2023 smashes £20K target

After 4 days cycling in a heatwave, 200 miles in the saddle, and mini concerts at 7 care homes, we are thrilled to announce that ‘Oz & Armonico’s Bike Challenge 2023 – The Encore Tour’, has smashed our £20,000 fundraising target. Thanks to your generosity we have raised £22,086.88 to help us fund vital new

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Encore Appeal Update 2: Here’s how you’re helping

We have been so encouraged by the huge number of donations since launching our £300K Encore Appeal in December.  Thanks to our fabulous supporters, we’ve now reached £120,162 in this second quarter.  This includes our President, Mr Roger Medwell’s generous contribution of 30p for every £1 raised, making your money go even further. “Your support

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Oz & Armonico ride again for the Encore Appeal

For the fifth successive year, TV presenter, wine expert and singer, Oz Clarke, leads Armonico Consort’s team of intrepid cyclists in a challenging, four-day bike tour. Their aim is to raise £20,000 to help fund Memory Singers choirs for people living with dementia and their carers.

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Armonico Scholar Nefeli’s royal day out

A talented 17-year old singer had the day of a lifetime when she attended the Coronation of TM King Charles III and Queen Camilla at Westminster Abbey on Saturday 6 May. Nefeli Terzopoulou is an AC Academy Scholar with the choir and music charity Armonico Consort.  Her scholarship is funded by the Prince of Wales’s

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The Forgotten Scarlatti: Armonico Consort’s new recording of Francesco Scarlatti choral works

Armonico Consort’s latest recording is a rediscovery of two brilliant choral masterpieces by a forgotten Baroque composer, Francesco Scarlatti, in brand-new authoritative editions by Dr Geoffrey Webber. Artistic Director Christopher Monks directs the composer’s Dixit Dominus and Messa a 16 – “the most spectacular classical music find of the century”.

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Encore Appeal Update: £81K raised already for vital music projects

Thanks to our fabulous supporters, Armonico Consort’s £300K Encore Appeal has raised over £81,368 in the first four months and is on the way to reaching £150K by June. Find out how we’re creating school choirs, singing sessions for people living with dementia and projects for children with SEN.

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Roger Medwell pledges thousands in Encore Appeal match funding

Well-known Coventry businessman and Armonico Consort president, Roger Medwell MBE DL has made an extraordinarily generous gesture in support of our £300K Encore Appeal to provide singing projects benefiting more than 17,000 people across Warwickshire, Coventry, Solihull and Worcestershire. 

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Oz & Armonico bike challenge in pictures

Thank you so much to everyone who donated to this year’s 200 mile bike challenge.  We smashed our £10K target and have raised over £14,300 to support our Memory Singers projects in care homes and in the community. We’ve collected a few highlights together …

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Oz & Armonico’s 200 mile sponsored bike challenge

What is it that persuades wine writer and broadcaster Oz Clarke and Armonico Consort’s team of musicians and supporters, to come back for a fourth year of aching legs and saddle sores?!  Yes, Oz & Armonico are back on the road in September, cycling 200 miles over four days, giving mini-concerts in care homes, and aiming to raise £10,000 for Armonico’s ‘Memory Singers’ projects which bring the power of music to people living with dementia. 

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Join the Warwick Memory Singers and experience the power of music

Music is incredible.  It has the power to help overcome isolation, reduce stress, make you feel happier and offer a host of other mental and physical well-being benefits.  Plus, it’s huge fun! Armonico Consort has long been a believer in music as ‘human medicine’, and the recent Power of Music report reinforces just how much

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AC Academy Scholars sing for the Princess

Our AC Academy Scholars had the honour of singing for HRH The Princess Royal when she visited Warwick on 5 November to celebrate the work of local charities and organisations.  The Scholars, representing Armonico Consort, were among several charities and children from local primary schools who gathered at Warwick School for the event.   

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Oz & Armonico bids to raise 20K for singers living with dementia

For Armonico Consort’s 20th anniversary, Oz & Armonico’s Great Bike Adventure sets off on 11 September, touring Warwickshire on a massive fundraising effort for the Warwick Memory Singers. The third Great Bike Adventure may be a little shorter than the two previous years,  but the cyclists have more than a few hills to contend with …

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Happy Birthday Armonico Consort!

And we’re off! Armonico Consort is 20 and we’re planning to celebrate like any 20-year-old would!  There’ll be special events, new commissions, birthday concerts, parties, exciting initiatives and plenty of collective reminiscences.

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King’s Singer Edward Button on lockdown life

In the second of our short series of interviews with our fabulous freelance musicians, we chat to King’s Singer Edward Button who has been involved in several of Armonico Consort’s new streamed concerts featuring some of our favourite early music repertoire, from Byrd to Bach.

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Hear our musicians: Elizabeth Adams, soprano

The recent launch of our streamed concerts On Demand has not only brought enjoyment to our audiences, but valuable work for our fabulous freelance musicians. A full year after concert-giving came to a shuddering halt, we’ve been asking some of them what life has been like.

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