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ROUND TEN GRANT APPLICATIONS
Wessex Baroque Collective
ENSEMBLE INFO
Ensemble Contact:
Emma-Marie Kabanova
Email:
Ensemble Connect URL
UK Registered Charity No:
PROJECT DESCRIPTION
In early 2026, Wessex Baroque Collective will give a complete performance of Heinrich Ignaz Franz Biber’s Mystery Sonatas, one of the most spiritually profound and technically inventive works of the Baroque period. Spanning January to March 2026, this series will unfold in three carefully curated performances in the intimate and atmospheric setting of the much-loved rural venue Shaftesbury Arts Centre.
This new series will build upon the momentum of the 3rd Shaftesbury Festival of Baroque, which runs from 21 to 25 January 2026. As the culminating event of the festival, the closing concert on 25 January will present the Joyful Mysteries, alongside Isabella Leonarda's Vespers with the Bournemouth Sinfonietta Choir, to introduce local audiences to the depth and splendour of this monumental work. The remaining sonatas, grouped thematically by the Sorrowful and Glorious Mysteries, will be performed in February and March respectively, offering audiences a rare opportunity to experience the full arc of Biber’s devotional vision.
At the centre of the project is baroque violinist Emma-Mari Kabanova, who will be performing the Mystery Sonatas for the 2nd time having previously performed the entire cycle with harpsichordist David Gostick to raise money for SPRING babyloss charity. She'll be joined by a continuo team comprising of harpsichordist David Gostick, cellist Christine Land, and lutenist Matthew Nissbet.
The sonatas’ extensive use of scordatura poses unique logistical challenges; each piece requires a different tuning setup. To meet these technical demands while fostering local engagement, supplementary baroque violins will be provided by amateur musicians from the area, as well as by the Dorset Rural Music School. This generous community collaboration not only ensures the necessary instruments are available but also symbolises the region’s deep investment in the cultural life of Shaftesbury and its surrounding villages.
The concert series will be supported by pre-concert talks and detailed programme notes, designed to welcome both seasoned early music audiences and curious newcomers. Where possible, the musicians will participate in informal post-concert conversations, offering insights into the music, its historical context, and the interpretative decisions behind the performances.
More than a concert series, this project is a meditation in sound—a journey through the joy, sorrow, and glory of the Christian story as imagined by one of the Baroque era’s most visionary composers. It is also a celebration of community, collaboration, and the enduring power of live performance to inspire reflection, beauty, and connection.
Through this unique initiative, the Shaftesbury Arts Centre reaffirms its role as a cultural cornerstone for rural Dorset, bringing world-class music to local audiences and fostering a deeper appreciation of our shared artistic heritage.
SUPPORTING INFORMATION
Wessex Baroque Collective was informally established in 2024 by David Gostick and Emma-Marie Kabanova who recognised a need for a professional HIPP ensemble in Dorset. In response, David invited cellist Christine Land to join the group as a core member. By operating as a collective, the ensemble retains the flexibility to collaborate with additional soloists or instrumentalists. David Gostick also conducts the Bournemouth Sinfonietta Choir so the ensemble is well-equipped to undertake choral works.
Past Performances:
• 13 April 2024 – Mysteria, St Hubert’s Church, Corfe Mullen, Dorset.
• 22 June 2024 – Music for Midsummer, St Hubert’s Church, Corfe Mullen, Dorset.
• 25 January 2025 – Handel’s 9 German Arias, the Shaftesbury Arts Centre Festival of Baroque (With soprano Angela Hicks)
Shaftesbury, Dorset.
• 22 February 2025 – Dido and Aeneas, Wimborne Minster, Dorset (in collaboration the
Bournemouth Sinfonietta Choir).
• 2nd May 2025 - Handel’s 9 German Arias, St Hubert’s Church, Corfe Mullen Dorset (With soprano Angela Hicks)
• 14th June 2025 - Dancing Through History St Hubert’s Church, Corfe Mullen Dorset
• 19th July 2025 - Echoes of Time St Hubert’s Church, Corfe Mullen Dorset (With soprano Angela Hicks)
David Gostick, Harpsichord:
David is a freelance conductor, keyboard player, and musicologist. He leads several amateur choirs, including the Bournemouth Sinfonietta Choir, and has conducted major works with the Portsmouth Choral Union and Medici Choir. An experienced continuo player with period ensembles such as Brandenburg Baroque Soloists and Salisbury Baroque, David holds a PhD from the University of Southampton, focusing on 18th-century provincial music-making.
Emma-Marie Kabanova, Violin:
Emma-Marie, a Goldsmiths graduate, trained in baroque violin in Sweden and Venice. She has performed internationally as a soloist and guest principal, including with the Moscow Baroque Soloists, and led Globus Music Baroque Ensemble. Her community work in Russia earned a UK 'Points of Light' award. Now based in the UK, she freelances and co-founded Phantasia and the Wessex Baroque Collective.
Christine Land, Cello:
Born in Bremen, Germany, Christine began her musical journey with the recorder before taking up the cello. Educated at leading German institutions and having performed with the Bournemouth Symphony Orchestra, she now specializes in both modern and baroque cello, frequently collaborating with groups like the Linden Baroque Orchestra and Consort of 12.
Matthew Nisbet Theorbo:
Matthew began studying lute and theorbo at the Royal Welsh College of Music and Drama, later specialising in early music at Manchester University and Indiana University (Bloomington), where he trained with renowned lutenist Nigel North. He has performed with leading UK period ensembles including The King’s Consort, Ex Cathedra, His Majesty’s Sagbutts and Cornetts, The Dunedin Consort, and I Fagiolini, and is a member of the lute quartet Chordophony.
PROJECT COSTS
Number of performers:
Instrumentalists:
Vocalists:
Other:
4
0
0
Project Income (£):
Ticketing/Fees:
Public Funding:
Other trusts/foundations - confirmed
Other trusts/foundations - pending
Other
Income - Total sources
2600
0
0
0
0
2600
Project Expenses (£):
Artists' fees
Artists' travel/accommodation
Venue - Rehearsal/Concert:
Recording/Filming:
Marketing/Publicity:
Management/Contingency:
250
585
150
0
200
0
Total Project Costs:
5135
Amount (£) of Grant Requested:
2535
Detailed Budget (Download):
IMPACT OF GRANT
A Continuo Foundation grant would allow us to complete a rare full performance of Biber’s Mystery Sonatas in rural Dorset, following an opening concert funded by the Shaftesbury Festival of Baroque. It would make world-class early music accessible to local audiences, ensure fair pay for musicians, and help establish a lasting early music presence in a region where such ambitious projects are otherwise unsustainable.
ADDITIONAL MATERIAL
Video from recently formed ensemble (if provided. If not, the CF 'Happy Holidays' video will appear by default)
PDF of detailed programme notes (if provided):
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