Marvellous medieval music!

From liturgical chants to songwriting workshops, this year’s International Medieval Congress (IMC) is proving that centuries-old music can still hit all the right notes!

Returning to campus from 6-9 July, the IMC brings together thousands of researchers, performers and visitors from around the world.

Alongside its academic sessions, the programme offers colleagues the chance to experience the Middle Ages through live performance, as well as to add their own voices to the creative mix.

Chants encounters!

One of the highlights of this year’s event is Sounding Manuscripts, a concert by Finnish duo Vox Silentii. Johanna Korhonen and Hilkka-Liisa Vuori will perform liturgical chants from medieval Finland, drawing directly on manuscript fragments dating from the 13th to the 16th centuries.

Rather than treating manuscripts as static historical objects, the performance will bring them to life through voice, gesture and acoustics. Audience members will be able to follow images of the original fragments while hearing chants performed in ways shaped by the architecture of the Leeds Universities Catholic Chaplaincy.

The concert reflects the close relationship between performance and research that runs throughout the IMC. Vox Silentii’s work forms part of the wider project ‘Tradition and Variation: Medieval Chant in the Diocese of Turku’, developed in collaboration with the Finnish Research Council and the National Library of Finland.

Colleagues can also experience medieval chant beyond the concert hall through a free soundwalk led by Digital Analysis of Chant Transmission (DACT) researchers Anna de Bakker and Debra Lacoste, who will also deliver a chant workshop on 7 July.

Available throughout the conference and designed to be experienced at participants’ own pace, the soundwalk invites visitors to discover fragmented chant manuscripts displayed on posters around campus. Using a dedicated mobile app, participants can hear the chants as they approach each location, with audio triggered by iBeacon or GPS technology.

The route winds through the green space behind stage@leeds and Leeds University Union, beginning just across the bridge from Old Bar. Workshop attendees may wish to start the soundwalk immediately afterwards, although it can be enjoyed at any point during the IMC.

Compose yourself

Meanwhile, the Build a Song! workshop invites attendees to explore medieval music-making through collaborative singing and composition. Professional singers from Siglo de Oro and scholars from the UK Research and Innovation-funded MUSLIVE project will guide participants through the process of turning a medieval songbook into a contemporary performance.

Song packs will be shared in advance, and both seasoned performers and complete beginners are encouraged to take part. The session begins with a live demonstration of how a medieval piece is constructed before participants work with the ensemble to develop their own interpretation. Selected pieces will even be performed live during Siglo de Oro’s public concert on 8 July!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Booking information

All musical events and workshops mentioned in this programme require advance booking. Tickets can be purchased directly through Open Up Leeds or from the IMC Information and Payments Desk in the Refectory Foyer during the IMC. In some cases, a separate ticket purchase or booking is required and will be clearly indicated on the relevant event page. Free events don’t require pre-booking.

Early booking is recommended as some events can only accommodate a limited number of participants.

Please contact the IMC team to buy a ticket after the registration closing date, or if you have any questions.