The English Cornett & Sackbut Ensemble

Continuo Foundation grantee
Supported by Continuo Foundation
ECSE is in demand as a recording ensemble, contributing to Gramophone Award-winning discs such as The Spy's Choirbook (Obsidian) in 2015, and the monumental Striggio mass in 40 parts Missa ecco si beato giorno with I Fagiolini (which scooped the Gramophone Award for Early Music 2011 and also the Diapason d'Or). ECSE celebrated its 25th anniversary in 2018 with a solo CD on the Resonus label entitled Music for Windy Instruments: Sounds from the Court of James I.
In 2023 they performed concerts and recorded with the Irish vocal ensemble Resurgam, plus ensemble recitals in Edinburgh, York and Manchester. They also participated in the NCEM/BBC Radio 3 Young Composer Competition, culminating in a broadcast recital on Radio 3 from Manchester's Stoller Hall.
Biography
The English Cornett & Sackbut Ensemble is a virtuoso period instrument group with a host of distinguished recordings to its name. In addition to regular recital work, the ensemble collaborates with leading vocal ensembles such as I Fagiolini, The Tallis Scholars, Alamire, Resurgam, The Marian Consort and Westminster Cathedral Choir, and is a regular at major festivals. As of October 2022 ECSE is also Ensemble in Residence at Holy Sepulchre, London, the National Musicians' Church.
ECSE is in demand as a recording ensemble, contributing to Gramophone Award-winning discs such as The Spy's Choirbook (Obsidian) in 2015, and the monumental Striggio mass in 40 parts Missa ecco si beato giorno with I Fagiolini (which scooped the Gramophone Award for Early Music 2011 and also the Diapason d'Or). ECSE celebrated its 25th anniversary in 2018 with a solo CD on the Resonus label entitled Music for Windy Instruments: Sounds from the Court of James I.
In 2023 they performed concerts and recorded with the Irish vocal ensemble Resurgam, plus ensemble recitals in Edinburgh, York and Manchester. They also participated in the NCEM/BBC Radio 3 Young Composer Competition, culminating in a broadcast recital on Radio 3 from Manchester's Stoller Hall.
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Upcoming Concerts

Looking Bach to Palestrina
Thu, 16 April 2026
Trinity College Chapel, Cambridge
7:30pm
£40 - 30 (conc. available)
Cambridge Early Music

Monteverdi's Vespers
Thu, 7 May 2026
Wells Cathedral
7:00pm
£15 - £37
Sound of Wells Festival
Monteverdi 1610 Vespers
Sun, 17 May 2026
All Saints Ryde
4:00pm
£24 - £30 (conc. available)
Fairest Isle Festival

Monteverdi Vespers of 1610
Fri, 3 July 2026
Sir Jack Lyons Concert Hall
7:00pm
£10 - £40
York Early Music Festival

Monteverdi Vespers
Fri, 18 September 2026
Kings Place, London
7:30pm
£28 - £70
Early Music at Kings Place
Past programmes

Monteverdi Vespers
Sat, 28 March 2026
St James's Piccadilly, London
7:30pm
£10 - £35- ➕1 other performance

David Munrow Day: Evening Concert
Sat, 21 March 2026
Pembroke Auditorium, Cambridge
6:30pm
£40
Cambridge Early Music

David Munrow Day: Afternoon Concert
Sat, 21 March 2026
Pembroke Auditorium, Cambridge
3:00pm
£15
Cambridge Early Music

Looking Bach to Palestrina
Mon, 8 December 2025
National Centre for Early Music
6:30pm
£35 (conc. available) inc. mince pie
York Early Music Christmas Festival

Monteverdi Vespers 1610
Wed, 22 October 2025
St. Thomas's Church, Salisbury
7:00pm
£28 (conc. available)
Celebrate Voice

Echoes of Venice
Sun, 19 October 2025
St David's Church, Llanfaes
6:00pm
£12-£27
Brecon Baroque Festival

A Pageant of Psalms
Fri, 17 October 2025
Brecon Cathedral
6:30pm
£10-£35
Brecon Baroque Festival

Monteverdi Vespers of 1610
Sun, 7 September 2025
St Mary's Parish Church, Haddington
7:30pm
£18-£33
Lammermuir Festival

La Spagna!
Thu, 9 November 2023
The Stoller Hall, Manchester
7:30pm
STANDARD £16. FTE/U18 £5.50





