about the orchestra
FOUNDED IN 2020 BY LOCAL PROFESSIONAL MUSICIANS TO PERFORM, TEACH, AND INSPIRE.
THE SHREWSBURY BAROQUE ORCHESTRA DELVES INTO ENSEMBLE WORKS RANGING FROM THE EARLY 17TH CENTURY TO THE END OF THE 18TH CENTURY, BINDING BOTH PROFESSIONAL AND KEEN AMATEUR MUSICIANS IN CONCERTS ALL OVER SHROPSHIRE. THE SBO IS OPEN FOR ANY KEEN MUSICIAN TO JOIN FROM SHROPSHIRE AND BEYOND, AND A MEMBERSHIP ENTITLES YOU TO BIWEEKLY REHEARSALS ALONGSIDE, AND DIRECTED BY, THE PRINCIPLES OF THE NOXWODE BAROQUE ENSEMBLE. MEMBER'S GET TO ENJOY WELL KNOWN REPERTOIRE, AND ALSO EXPLORE LESSER KNOWN, BUT JUST AS BRILLIANT, WORKS BY NICHE COMPOSERS. THE ORCHESTRA CURRENTLY AIMS FOR THREE CONCERTS PER YEAR.
MEET THE DIRECTORS
CONOR GRICMANIS - BAROQUE VIOLIN
Raised in a farming background in rural Shropshire/Powys borderlands, Conor Gricmanis was a Christopher Hogwood Scholar, completing his Master's Degree in Historical Violin at the Royal College of Music with Bojan Čićič. Conor also undertook his undergraduate studies at the Royal Academy of Music where he studied under Rachel Podger. Conor began performing regularly with the Academy of Ancient Music, Florilegium, and also his own ensembles, Noxwode and Sylvatica. Conor is featured on a number of world premiere recordings with ensembles such as The Illyrian Consort, the AAM, and The Restoration Consort, and is very proud that his recording with Noxwode recording is next on the list. Conor has performed around the world, including some of the finest venues, such as Wigmore Hall, Buckingham Palace, and The Royal Chapel of Versailles. Conor also enjoys a range of music from chamber and orchestral works, and is a regular sought after soloist and was 2020's year's lead violinist for the Royal College of Music's Baroque Orchestra, and was also appointed the piccolo violin soolo in bach's brandenburg concerto no.3 for concerts in oxford and the Amaryllis Fleming Concert Hall.
CLAIRE EDWARDS - BAROQUE VIOLIN
Claire grew up in East Yorkshire where she took up the violin aged eleven. Claire became a member of Yorkshire Young Musicians when she was seventeen years old and went on to study violin performance at the Royal Welsh College of Music and Drama where she graduated in 2015. It was at the RWCMD where she specialised in the baroque violin under the tuition of Rachel Podger. Since then she has been performing across a variety of genres, from Classical to pop but has a particular love for early music and folk.
Early music highlights include performing for the closing concert of the Valletta International Baroque festival at the presidential palace in Malta in 2015, performing with Harry Christopher's and Genesis sixteen, Rachel Podger at the Brecon Baroque festival and Monteverdi's Vespers with Philip Thorby in Venice.
Claire has also performed at the Beverley folk festival, Weymouth folk festival, Swansea Fringe Fest and Shrewsbury folk festival and is a member of Cartol String Quartet, Venus Quartet, Explosive ELO, Misted Hazel, The Kilpecks, she is also the violinist for singer-song writer Emi McDade and freelances with various orchestras in the UK.