London International Festival of Early Music

The London International Festival of Early Music (LIFEM) is an English music festival which is devoted mainly to Baroque and Renaissance music. It takes place each November in Blackheath, London, at Blackheath Halls.

History

The festival was founded in 1973 and initially took place at the Royal College of Music before moving to the Old Royal Naval College, Greenwich, and taking on the name Greenwich Early Music Festival. Each year, the Festival invites performers and exhibitors from across the world to perform concerts and exhibit their goods.[1] As well as Baroque music, LIFEM commissions new works for performance by the visiting ensembles (in 2020, they commissioned John Paul Jones to write The Tudor Pull for Fretwork[2][3]).

The festival has been known by several names in its history. It operated as the Greenwich Early Music Festival until 2016, when it made what was expected to be a temporary move to Blackheath.[4] Throughout its history it has had a close relationship with The Early Music Shop, which supports and runs the Festival.

During the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020 a series of recorded concerts under the name LIFEM: Digital replaced in-person events.[5] The festival also became a registered charity in 2020,[6] and appointed its first artistic director, Gill Graham. The trustees are Susannah Simons, Tony Millyard, Caro Barnfield and Chris Butler.[7]

Festival Review of LIFEM 2020

Competitions

Since the competition was established in 1985, LIFEM has hosted the final of the Society of Recorder Players / Moeck Competition for solo recorder performance. Winners of the biennial competition receive cash prizes and perform a solo recital at LIFEM in the year following their win.

Previous winners have included Tabea Debus,[8] Piers Adams,[9] Robert Ehrlich,[10] Ashley Solomon and Chris Orton.[11]

The LIFEM Young Ensemble Award is a biennial competition for ensembles specialising in historical performance practise and was established in 2018.

Previous winners:

• 2018: Palisander & Pypker/Muskens Duo

• 2020: Ensemble Pro Victoria & Ensemble Hesperi.[12]

Past performers/exhibitors at LIFEM

• Chetham's Early Music Ensemble[13]
• Elizabeth Kenny (lute)[14]
• Fretwork (viol consort)[15]
• His Majestys Sagbutts & Cornetts[16]
• Mahan Esfahani (harpsichord)[17]
• Tabea Debus (Recorder) [18]
• Palisander (Recorder Quartet) [19]
• Olwen Foulkes (recorder)[20]
• Eric Moulder from PIVA – The Renaissance Collective (maker of and performer on renaissance wind instruments)[21]
• Klop (makers of early keyboard instruments)[22]
• Red Priest[23]
• Sarah Jeffery (recorder: performer / visiting tutor)[24]
• Solomon's Knot (vocal consort)
• Stile Antico[25]
• The Early Music Shop (organisers of the festival)
• The Lute Society[26]
• Thomas Tallis Choir[27]
• Tinka Pypker-Anders Muskens (soprano/fortepiano duo)[28]

See also

• Historically informed performance
• Lute
• Harpsichord
• Recorder (musical instrument)

References

1. Hedley, Miles (10 November 2019). "LONDON INTERNATIONAL FESTIVAL OF EARLY MUSIC at Blackheath". Greenwich Visitor. Retrieved 24 July 2021.
2. "JPJ COMMISSIONED BY LONDON INTERNATIONAL FESTIVAL OF EARLY MUSIC". Led Zeppelin forum. Retrieved 24 July 2021.
3. "The Tudor Pull (John Paul Jones) performed by Fretwork at LIFEM 2020". Fretwork - The Tudor Pull. Retrieved 27 July 2021.
4. "Temporary venue for Greenwich International Early Music Festival 2016". Rhinegold. Retrieved 27 July 2021.
5. Fairman, Richard (10 November 2020). "Classical music thrives online with early music festival and LSO concert". Retrieved 24 July 2021.
6. "Governing document for LIFEM". Charity Commission. Retrieved 24 July 2021.
7. "THE LONDON INTERNATIONAL FESTIVAL OF EARLY MUSIC CIO". Register of Charities. Charity Commission for England and Wales. Retrieved 8 November 2021.
8. Hedley, Miles. "THE LONDON INTERNATIONAL FESTIVAL OF EARLY MUSIC Online with headline concerts filmed in Blackheath". Retrieved 27 July 2021.
9. "MOECK/SOCIETY OF RECORDER PLAYERS SOLO RECORDER PLAYING COMPETITION". Help Musicians UK. Retrieved 27 July 2021.
10. In 1989. See overview previous winners. Retrieved 26 March 2022.
11. "Chris Orton - Tutor in Recorder". Royal Northern College of Music. Retrieved 27 July 2021.
12. "LIFEM Young Ensemble Competition". LIFEM.
13. "The London International Festival of Early Music". Chethams School of Music. Retrieved 24 July 2021.
14. "BBC Radio 3 - The Early Music Show". BBC. Retrieved 24 July 2021.
15. Jeal, Erica (6 November 2020). "Fretwork review – John Paul Jones opens LIFEM with idiosyncratic and effective new work". Retrieved 24 July 2021.
16. "Feature Review – Greenwich International Festival & Exhibition of Early Music 2005". Classical Source. Retrieved 27 July 2021.
17. "Mahan Esfahani blog". Mahan Esfahani. Retrieved 24 July 2021.
18. "Tabea Debus in Concert". London International Festival of Early Music. Retrieved 5 March 2022.
19. Andrew Benson-Wilson (16 November 2018). "London International Exhibition of Early Music". Andrew Benson-Wilson  : Early Music Reviews +. Retrieved 5 March 2022.
20. "Olwen Foulkes - Concerts". Olwen Foulkes. Retrieved 24 July 2021.
21. "London International Early Music Festival in November". PIVA - The Renaissance Collective. 4 September 2018. Retrieved 24 July 2021.
22. "Royal Greenwich Early Music Festival". Klop. 10 November 2014. Retrieved 27 July 2021.
23. "March 2015". Red Priest. Retrieved 27 July 2021.
24. "Agenda". Sarah Jeffery. Retrieved 24 July 2021.
25. "Search MusicalCriticism.com Greenwich Early Music Festival 2008". Musical Criticism. Retrieved 27 July 2021.
26. "The Lute Society: Thinking of Taking up the Lute". The Lute Society. Retrieved 27 July 2021.
27. "Celestial Conflict and Resolution". Thomas Tallis Society email. Retrieved 24 July 2021.
28. "Events – Anders Muskens". Anders Muskens. Retrieved 24 July 2021.

External links

• London International Festival of Early Music
• Early Music Shop
• LIFEM YouTube channel
• Society of Recorder Players