The baroque strings are now about 14-strong, playing period instruments and working under a number of fine professionals. The string group also works with a major early music project once a year. Instrumentalists and singers work in groups, complemented by lectures, demonstrations and other facilities like a specialist bookshop. Informed and inspired by the workshops, the students then work towards a production. The first three were fully staged and specially devised works, created and directed by Carmen Jakobi.
Chamber music is a constant activity, often supervised by staff.
The viol consort is supervised weekly by Lucy Robinson. Philippa Waite is a world expert on baroque dance and holds classes in historical dance in College, providing a instructive and visually striking dimension to the major projects. The chamber choir, of course, often explores early repertoire and other singing groups are formed to explore specific areas. Each course has its way of offering a background to earlier styles of music. In years 2 and 3 the Performers' Diploma course interlaces lectures on performance practice with history, so that performers are kept aware of the performance implications of other studies.