Our flagship groups, The Constellation Orchestra and The Constellation Choir produce ambitious, multidisciplinary performance projects that tour around the world.
Central to our programming is the annual Springhead Symposium, complemented by a series of seminars, encounters and smaller-scale events that will serve and enrich our community’s cultural landscape, spaced out across the seasons.
Click here for past projects.
Exploring the connections between music, land and the cosmos through performance, conversation and interdisciplinary exchange.
The Constellation Choir & Orchestra
Sir John Eliot Gardiner conductor
programme
Music by William Byrd, Claudio Monteverdi, Orlando Gibbons, Henry Purcell, John Dowland, John Taverner, Heinrich Schütz, Thomas Tallis, Pieterszoon Sweelinck, among others, alongside seasonal readings.
The Constellation Choir & Orchestra
Sir John Eliot Gardiner conductor
Hilary Cronin, Sam Cobb, Hugh Cutting, Sarah Denbee, Jonathan Hanley, Alex Ashworth, Jack Comerford soloists
programme
Bach Mass in B Minor, BWV 232
programme
Morales Parce mihi, Domine
Senfl Ave rosa sine spinis
Lobo Versa est in Luctum
White Lamentations
Byrd Laudibus in Sanctis
Clemens O Maria vernans rosa
Victoria O Quam Gloriosum
Victoria Missa O Quam Gloriosum
Monteverdi Ave Maris Stella
The Constellation Choir & Orchestra
Sir John Eliot Gardiner conductor
Hilary Cronin, Sam Cobb, Jonathan Hanley, soloists
programme
Brahms Schicksalslied
Mendelssohn Lobgesang
Brahms Geistliches Lied
The Constellation Choir & Orchestra
Sir John Eliot Gardiner conductor
Lenneke Ruiten, Marie Luise Werneburg, Iris Korfker, Jonathan Hanley, Graham Neal, Gareth Treseder, Alex Ashworth, Jack Comerford soloists
programme i:
Praetorius Wie schön leuchtet
Bach Wie schön leuchtet der Morgenstern, BWV 1
Schein Ich bin die Wurzel
Bach Ich will den Kreuzstab gerne tragen, BWV 56
Schütz Ich bin eine rufende Stimme
Bach Bleib bei uns, denn es will Abend werden, BWV 6
Schütz Ich bin ein rechter Weinstock
Bach Es erhub sich ein Streit, BWV 19
programme ii:
Bach Christ lag in Todesbanden, BWV 4
Schein Was betrübst du
Bach Ich hatte viel Bekümmernis, BWV 21
Schütz Selig sind die Toten
Bach Actus tragicus, BWV 106
Schein Ich freue mich
Bach Wachet auf, ruft uns die Stimme, BWV 140
The Constellation Orchestra
Sir John Eliot Gardiner conductor
Nicola Boud soloist
programme
Arriaga Symphony in D major
Mozart Clarinet Concerto in A major
Haydn Symphony No. 49 in F minor, ‘La Passione’
The Constellation Choir & Orchestra
Sir John Eliot Gardiner conductor
Hilary Cronin, Eline Welle, Jonathan Hanley, Jack Comerford soloists
programme
Bach Der Himmel lacht! Die Erde jubilieret, BWV 31
Bach Bleib bei uns, denn es will Abend werden, BWV 6
Bach Easter Oratorio, BWV 249
Music and the Land – Bach and the Ecology of Listening
How do the wonders of nature inform our ways of listening.
The Constellation Choir & Orchestra
Sir John Eliot Gardiner conductor
Lenneke Ruiten, Sam Cobb, Reginald Mobley, Sarah Denbee, Jonathan Hanley, Gareth Treseder, Alex Ashworth, Jack Comerford, Joe Murphy soloists
programme i:
Bach Mass in B minor
programme ii:
Mozart Requiem in D minor
Mozart Mass in C minor
The Constellation Choir
Tonhalle-Orchester Zürich
Sir John Eliot Gardiner conductor
Rebecca Hardwick, Iris Korfker, Peter Davoren, Alex Ashworth soloists
New year, new sounds: John Eliot Gardiner conducts two works in his New Year’s Eve programme that are geared towards a new beginning. bach’s double-choir motet calls for “Sing unto the Lord a new song” (not to be confused with the cantata of the same name, which Bach actually composed for New Year’s Day in 1724). Beethoven’s Symphony No. 9 then turns away even more clearly from what has gone before: “O friends, not these tones!” it says, “but let us intone more pleasant and joyful ones”. Exactly the right message at a time when we would indeed like to hear more “pleasant” tones here and there. Those that adhere to the core sentence of Schiller’s “Ode to Joy”, which Beethoven used for this very first choral symphony in music history: “All men become brothers.”
(from Tonhalle Zürich)
The Constellation Choir & Ensemble
Sir John Eliot Gardiner conductor
programme
Music by Giovanni Palestrina, Pieterszoon Sweelinck, Michael Praetorius, Giovanni Bassano, Herbert Howells, William Byrd, Johann Gottfried Walther, Robert Armstrong, John Gardner, Thomas Weekles and others.
Join Sir John Eliot Gardiner for a captivating journey through the evocative and richly textured world of Renaissance and Baroque polyphony and carols, inspired by his acclaimed recording Once As I Remember. This concert celebrates the timeless beauty of choral and instrumental works that weave together themes of memory, longing, and transcendence.
Drawing from centuries-old traditions, the program brings to life the profound human emotions encapsulated in sacred and secular music of the past. Sir John Eliot Gardiner and the Constellation Choir and Orchestra illuminate masterpieces with a sensitivity that speaks to their enduring relevance. Gardiner invites the audience into a space where history, spirituality, and musicality converge. The programme not only revisits treasured works but also offers fresh perspectives, making this performance an unforgettable tribute to the resonance of music across time. Through this extraordinary collection of pieces, Once As I Remember invites you to reflect on the continuity of human expression and the unbroken threads of inspiration that connect us to our cultural heritage.
The 2025 Constellation Symposium: Music and the Land will explore the profound relationship between land, culture, and creativity through performances, discussions, and interdisciplinary exchanges. Bringing together artists, scholars, and sustainability practitioners, the symposium will examine how artistic expression can reflect and influence our connection with the environment.
Topics include the role of farming in cultural health, the impact of land stewardship on artistic traditions, and the ways in which music and the arts inspire sustainable living.
As part of the symposium, Springhead Constellation invited proposals from artists, musicians, and interdisciplinary creators for the 2025 Constellation Symposium. Selected artists present works responding to the theme “Music and the Land”. This open call welcomed projects across diverse media, including sound-based performances, interdisciplinary collaborations, and site-specific installations.
A key highlight of the symposium will be a musical production exploring the deep connection to nature and the elements. This performance will offer a unique artistic perspective on the symposium’s themes, weaving together historical and contemporary reflections on music, land, and sustainability.
The symposium will take place in October 2025 at Springhead, Dorset, UK.
Programme for the Public Day on October 2025
10:15 – 10:20 WELCOME
Gwyneth Wentink – CEO Springhead Constellation
10:20 – 11:10 KEYNOTES 1&2 + Q&A
Sir John Eliot Gardiner – Farmer & Musician
Patrick Holden – Sustainable Food Trust
Title: “The interface between agriculture and music.”
11.10 – 12.15 PANEL 1
Jonathan Pinder, Henry Edmunds, Jonathan Garratt
Moderator: Fanny Charles
Title: “Regenerative Futures – Soil, farming, and cultural renewal”
12.15 – 12.30 BREAK
12.30 – 13.15 LECTURE – WORKSHOP
Mark Seow – violinist, writer, broadcaster & musicologist
Title: “Hearts of Soil” – combining musicology, storytelling and performance
13.15 – 14.15 LUNCH
14.15 – 15.15 KEYNOTE 3 + Springs visit
Guy Hayward
Title: “The Home of Songs” – Place, Identity & Folk Tradition
15.15 – 16.00 DIALOGUE
Tim Laycock, John Eliot Gardiner & Constellation Academicians
Title: “Folksongs and Poems of Dorset Rural Life.”
16.00 – 16.20 BREAK
16.20 – 17.00 PRESENTATION & PERFORMANCE
Ensemble Échappée
Title: “The Listening Pilgrimage.”
17.00 – 18.15 PANEL 2
Garry Cook, James Grossman, Poppy Walshaw, Aisling Hedgecock
Moderator: Gwyneth Wentink
Title: “The Artist as Ecologist.”
18:15 – 19.00 CLOSING REMARKS & DRINKS
The Constellation Choir & Orchestra
Sir John Eliot Gardiner conductor
programme
F. Mendelssohn Erste Walpurgisnacht
F. Mendelssohn A Midsummer Night’s Dream
The Constellation Choir & Orchestra
Sir John Eliot Gardiner conductor
Marie Luise Werneburg, Alexander Chance, Thomas Hobbs, Florian Störtz soloists
programme i:
Cantatas for the Sunday “Jubilate”
JS Bach Weinen, Klagen, Sorgen, Zagen, BWV 12
JS Bach Ihr werdet weinen und heulen, BWV 103
JS Bach Wir müssen durch viel Trübsal, BWV 146
programme ii:
Cantatas for the 16th Sunday after Trinity Sunday
JS Bach Liebster Gott, wenn werd ich sterben, BWV 8
JS Bach Wer weiß, wie nahe mir mein Ende, BWV 27
JS Bach Christus, der ist mein Leben, BWV 95
JS Bach Komm, du süsse Todesstunde, BWV 161
A five day residential workshop for ten to twelve exceptionally talented young singers who are on the point of completing their training at conservatories or universities prior to entering the music profession.
Springhead Constellation is proud to launch its inaugural apprentice scheme for young adult singers from 9 to 14 April 2025. This will take the form of a five day residential workshop for ten to twelve exceptionally talented young singers who are on the point of completing their training at conservatories or universities prior to entering the music profession. They will be invited to take part in an intensive programme of individual and group coaching and ensemble singing under the guidance of Sir John Eliot Gardiner, assisted by a small team of experienced professionals who will act as their mentors.
Participants will be encouraged to delve into a wide range of vocal styles beginning with folk-songs, partsongs and canons and branching out into polyphony as well as exercises in improvisation. Beyond technical and artistic development and the mastery of singing in different languages, the programme will emphasise the need for close collaboration and connection both within the ensemble, but also with the spirit of place (or genius loci) of Springhead itself, with its magical lakeside garden and the surrounding chalk hills of North Dorset.
The residency will provide opportunities for personal reflection and growth, as well as time for group discussions and mentoring sessions. This will be slanted towards fostering a broader understanding of their potential role as cultural ambassadors as well as preparing them to meet the varied challenges of the music profession, helping the apprentices to feel well prepared and equipped before taking the plunge.
Springhead has a long-standing tradition of connecting its educational and creative activities with the local community. Since this is in perfect alignment with Springhead Constellation’s mission, there will be opportunities for local music teachers who can apply to attend some of the rehearsals and to observe the progress made by the apprentices as they develop as a vocal ensemble during their residency.
The workshop will conclude with an informal concert given in Springhead’s atmospheric Millroom introduced by John Eliot Gardiner. The performance will not only showcase the apprentices’ artistic growth over the five days’ workshop, but provide an opportunity for members of the public and friends of the Springhead Trust to experience the results of this innovative apprentice scheme.
The Constellation Choir & Orchestra
Sir John Eliot Gardiner conductor
programme
JS Bach Cantata “Schwingt freudig euch empor” BWV 36
Charpentier Messe de minuit pour Noel
JS Bach Cantata “Unser Mund sei voll Lachens” BWV 110
Here is a one-off opportunity to experience live one of today’s most persuasive and respected interpreters of Bach’s works, Sir John Eliot Gardiner, launching his new hand-picked ensembles, The Constellation Choir and The Constellation Orchestra. Gardiner has been studying and performing Bach ever since he learnt all six of Bach’s motets by heart as a treble. The fruits of his lifetime’s immersion in Bach’s oeuvre are grounded in the most recent scholarship, but moving far beyond it, his interpretations are characterised by his deep understanding of the context of how this music came into being, how Bach worked, how his music is constructed, and how it achieves its effects— dance-like and joyous at one level, as in these two spectacular Christmas cantatas, contemplative and tender at another. This together with the French Baroque composer Marc Antoine Charpentier’s Messe de minuit pour Noël (Midnight Mass for Christmas), this is music to quicken the pulse, gladden the heart, as well as a chance to bask in the virtuosity of the instrumentalists and singers who make up Gardiner’s ensembles.
The Constellation Choir & Orchestra are the flagship ensembles for Springhead Constellation a new interdisciplinary arts organisation, which creates accessible, engaging, and educational performances that resonate across both generations and geographies. Under the visionary leadership of Gardiner, Springhead Constellation produces ambitious touring projects which examine the themes of transformation, regeneration, and intersections between music and environmental sciences.
Orkest van de Achttiende Eeuw
Herengracht 62
1015 BP Amsterdam
info@springheadconstellation.com
