A feast for the mind, a boost for the body, a salve for the soul.
Following on from our successful day at the Holy Sepulchre London on Tuesday 27th September we held a second event on Monday 5th December at St James Garlickhyte and St Micheal Paternoster Church in the City of London.
For this event we wanted to celebrate the beginning of the festive season with an early English music programme.
A Feast for the Mind was a day of artist workshops and an evening concert steeped in seasonal histories. It was created for Mental Fight Club by Vivien Ellis, with Giles Lewin, Leah Stuttard, Ariella and Renzo, Gawain Hewitt, Matt Maguire, the City of London Sinfonia, BBC Radio 3, and Vanessa Lawrence.
With our day spread across these two amazing spaces we started with a walk from St Micheal’s Paternoster Royal Church. From there we ventured out to explore the history of the area including the famous mayor of London Richard ‘Dick’ Whittington. Coming in from the cold we engaged in a group chant session taught by ear by the incredible Vivien Ellis and Leah Stuttard. We then danced through the ages with Ariella and Renzo who took us from The Renaissance to the modern day. Composer Gawain Hewitt and City of London Viola player Matt Maguire then invited patrons to explore music and the way it benefits our wellbeing and create a piece of music to portray a range of Mental Health Experiences. Finally we moved across to the wonderful venue of St James Garlickhythe for a concert by the Alva ensemble in Wrens Lantern.
A special mention to Artist Vanessa Lawrence who spent the day documenting our workshops through drawing, painting and collaboration with patrons.
We would like to thank everyone who came along and participated in the event, with a special thanks to all our practitioners who helped us curate the day and the team at St James Garlickhythe and St Micheal’s Paternoster Royal for making this day possible.
See some photos from our day below!
Full Timetable:
12pm -1pm: Who Was The Real Dick Whittington?
Our session starts inside the church of St Michael Paternoster Royal, burial place of Richard Whittington (1350-1423), home of The Mission for Seafarers for 50 years, with some of the finest 20th century stained glass in London. Early Music singer, Vivien Ellis will lead participants on a short walk around the vicinity of St Michael’s, with ballads and stories exploring this richly historic part of London which once thronged with sailors, tradespeople, beggars, wine merchants, servants and wealthy mercers, one of whom was none other than Dick Whittington. Discover the remarkable historical fact behind this much fictionalised pantomime hero, thrice Lord Mayor of London, whose 600th anniversary we celebrate next year.
2:00pm - 3:00pm: Chant!
An introduction to early chant from London, and world traditions, taught by ear. Led by Vivien Ellis, song leader of Mental Fight Club, and the Dragon Café Singing Group accompanied by medieval harpist Leah Stuttard. No skills or previous experience required. Come and take part, or listen and chill out. All welcome.
3:30pm - 4:30pm: Dancestepping into the Past
Renaissance Dance practitioners and Danceworks leaders Ariella and Renzo will bring a flavour of the past to this Danceworks session. Everyone is welcome to come along, join in, and discover dance styles popular throughout history. No experience is necessary to enjoy this fascinating journey through dance.
5:00pm - 6:00pm: Something Interesting Always Happens - an exploration in sound and music.
Join Gawain Hewitt and Matt Maguire for a participatory exploration in sound, where something interesting always happens, and everyone who comes along is invited to make music. Gawain is a composer and artist and believes that the act of making music is intrinsic to wellbeing. He’s made music with lots of groups of people as well as with ice, water, made-up instruments and electrical circuits. Matt is Sub-Principal Viola for the City of London Sinfonia. He brings joy and a love of music to his playing and work. Gawain and Matt have worked together on many projects. As part of a special programme for BBC Radio 3 to be broadcast over the coming months, Gawain is creating a piece of music seeking to capture and portray a range of mental health experiences, and what we make together during this workshop will definitely feature in what is submitted. No prior music experience necessary. Everyone is welcome. Come and make music with us!
7:00pm - 8:00pm: Wren’s Lantern, an Evening Concert
After the Great Fire of 1666, Sir Christopher Wren rebuilt the St James Garlickhythe church. Its foundation stone was laid in 1676. Apart from St Paul's, St James’ forty-foot-high ceiling is the highest in the city. Indeed, Wren was so successful at introducing natural light that the church became known as 'Wren's Lantern’. Join us in celebrating the Lantern’s unique beauty, in situ, with early, folk and new music from the Alva ensemble: Giles Lewin (voice, fiddle), Leah Stuttard (voice, early harp), Vivien Ellis (voice, sinfonye).
You will hear ballads about Dick Whittington, rich Mercer and pantomime hero who lived nearby, exquisite plainchant from London, and songs of angels and Christmas.
