Kate Semmens has sung extensively with some of the country’s most eminent choirs and consorts, including the Monteverdi Choir, Dunedin Consort, Gabrieli Consort and Eric Whitacre Singers. Kate was a soloist on Andrew Parrott’s recording of Taverner’s Western Wind Mass which won the Gramophone Award for Early Music in 2017. Kate also enjoys working in Opera and last summer played the role of Lisetta in Paisiello’s La Frascatana for New Chamber Opera. She has performed roles ranging from Ottavia in Monteverdi’s L’Incoronazione di Poppea and Mrs P in Michael Nyman’s The Man Who Mistook his Wife for a Hat. Kate is increasingly known as a vocal coach and has worked with Nancy Argenta at the Victoria Baroque Oratorio Summer School as well as directing masterclasses at Baroque Week and vocal workshops at Dartington International Summer School. Kate has worked extensively in education projects with the Orchestra of the Age of Enlightenment, exploring improvisation through the works of Purcell. She has recently been enjoying exploring the work of women composers with particular emphasis on the songs of Fanny Mendelssohn and Clara Schumann. Kate regularly performs in festivals and has recently presented a recital of English 18th century songs as part of the Valetta Baroque Festival in Malta as well performing a concert of Mozart and Haydn accompanied by Boxwood and Brass at Baroquestock in Hampstead.
Steven Devine combines a career as a conductor and director of orchestral, choral and opera repertoire with that of a solo harpsichordist and fortepianist. He is Conductor and Artistic Advisor of The English Haydn Festival; Music Director of New Chamber Opera, Oxford and Director of the Orchestra of the Age of Enlightenment’s “Bach the Universe & Everything” series.
On the concert platform he has directed Purcell, Blow, Bach, Handel and Mozart with the Orchestra of the Age of Enlightenment; Bach Easter Oratorio with the BBC National Orchestra of Wales; Haydn, Handel, CPE Bach, JC Bach, Ditterdorf and Viotti with the English Haydn Orchestra; Handel, Vivaldi and Porpora with Ann Hallenberg and Trondheim Barokk; Bach Christmas Oratorio with the Norwegian Wind Ensemble; Handel Solomon with Victoria Baroque Players, British Columbia and Handel Music for the Royal Fireworks with Arion Baroque Ensemble, Montreal; He has also directed programmes with the Academy of Ancient Music, Academie d’Ambronay, the Mozart Festival Orchestra and St Paul’s Chamber Orchestra,
Devine’s opera repertoire includes works by Purcell, Cavalli, Handel, Haydn and Mozart as well as rarities by Galuppi, Salieri and Cimarosa. His recordings include Dido & Aeneas with the Orchestra of the Age of Enlightenment and Sarah Connolly in the title role.
As a keyboard player, he is the Principal Keyboard Player with the Orchestra of the Age of Enlightenment and also the principal keyboard player for The Gonzaga Band, The Mozartists and performs regularly with many other groups around Europe. He has recorded over thirty discs with other artists and ensembles and made many solo recordings. His recording of Bach’s Goldberg Variations (Chandos Records) has received critical acclaim – including Gramophone magazine describing it as “among the best”. The complete harpsichord works of Rameau (Resonus) has received five-star reviews from BBC Music Magazine. Steven has recently released Bach’s Well-Tempered Clavier (“it’s the one of all I’ve heard in the past ten years that I am happiest to live with.” Early Music Review). He is currently engaged in recording the complete harpsichord works of Johann Ludwig Krebs, Bach’s favourite student.
Steven Devine was educated at Chetham’s School of Music before reading Music at St Peter’s College, Oxford. He was Director of Opera Restor’d from 2002-2010 and Kurator and Conductor of the Norwegian Wind Ensemble from 2016-2018.