A programme inspired by the travels of Handel, with selections from the Nine German Arias alongside opera arias: ‘Qual farfalletta’ from Partenope and ‘V’adoro, pupille’ from Giulio Cesare. Purcell’s ‘Music for a While’ and virtuoso folk tunes from Playford’s Division Violin conjure up the London of a generation before and set the scene for Handel’s arrival here.

Minerva Baroque

Danni O’Neill, soprano
May Robertson, violin
Iain Hall, cello
Callum Anderson, harpsichord

About the Ensemble

Minerva Baroque was founded by four leading young musicians with a shared goal of exploring London’s musical heritage. Since its beginnings in the summer of 2023, Minerva has performed at the Handel Hendrix House and in recital series at St Clement Danes and St Magnus the Martyr.

The ensemble tells stories around the life and influences of Handel, programming a wide range of repertoire from the familiar to the lesser known. Presenting both vocal and instrumental music, the group traces connections across Europe.

The members of Minerva are graduates of the Royal Academy of Music, the Royal College of Music, and the Royal Conservatory of The Hague. They have worked with groups including the Academy of Ancient Music, London Handel Players, Florilegium, and Le Concert d’Astrée.

Biographies

Danni O’Neill is a 2021 Masters graduate Soprano with distinction from the Royal Academy of Music with part scholarship. She is taught by Raymond Connell. At RAM, Danni was awarded the Michael Head Prize for English Song, notably performed a Solo Cantata BWV202 with Rachel Podger and received a DipRAM for an outstanding final recital.

Danni recently made her Wigmore Hall solo ensemble debut with Solomon’s Knot and professional Opera Chorus debut in Lille and Luxembourg Opera Houses performing Purcell Dido and Aeneas and Handel Semele with the Concert D’Astree and Emmanuelle Haïm. Choral work includes performances with prestigious ensembles such as The Sixteen, Polyphony, Gabrieli Choir, Academy of Ancient Music, BBC Singers, Recordare Chamber Choir, and The Marian Consort. Danni is a regular soprano at St. Paul’s Knightsbridge.

Recent solo engagements include Bach’s Matthew Passion with The Hanover Band, Second Woman/Witch with Helsinki Baroque Orchestra - Musiikkitalo, premiere of Cecilia McDowall’s Bird of Time with Ealing Choral, Telemann Cantata at Baroquestock, London Early Opera Hogarth’s Garden, Handel’s Dixit Dominus for Southwell Festival in Southwell Minster, Peasblossom in RAO’s A Midsummer Nights Dream, Minerva Baroque at Handel&Hendrix House and Nanetta in Verdi’s Falstaff for the RAO Opera Scenes.

Violinist May Robertson has won praise for her ‘lovely gaiety’ (Daily Telegraph) and for her ‘virtuoso fiddle playing’ (Lark Reviews). Her solo performances include J. S. Bach’s Fourth Brandenburg Concerto under Sigiswald Kuijken and the first recording and BBC Radio 3 broadcast of a newly discovered Vivaldi violin sonata. May has also performed with Frans Brüggen, Judy Tarling, Barthold Kuijken, Margaret Faultless, and Jaap ter Linden, and with groups including the Academy of Ancient Music, London Handel Players, Charivari Agréable, Armonico Consort, Chelys Consort of Viols, Joglaresa, and new medieval ensemble Rune. May holds degrees from Cambridge University and the Royal Conservatory of The Hague.

Cellist Iain Hall specialises in baroque chamber music and continuo. He is the co-founder of the award-winning ensemble, Liturina, with whom he reached the finals of the York Early Music International Young Artists Competition, and also performs regularly with Ana y La Locura. He has played with groups such as Florilegium, Eboracum Baroque and Cambridge Handel Opera Company, and appeared at venues including Cadogan Hall, the Royal Festival Hall, and the Queen’s Gallery, Buckingham Palace. This year will see Iain feature on a CD with SOMM Records alongside baritone Roderick Williams OBE and soprano Ana Beard Fernandez. He studied cello and recorder at the Royal College of Music, graduating with a Master of Performance (Distinction) in 2019. During his time at music college, he won the RCM Historical Performance Competition three times and was awarded the McKenna Prize for receiving the highest recital mark in the faculty.

Callum Anderson is a London-based harpsichordist and organist. He graduated from the Royal Academy of Music in 2020 with a Master’s degree in Historically Informed Performance, studying the harpsichord with Carole Cerasi and James Johnstone. He now enjoys a freelance career as a soloist and continuo player, performing regularly with both chamber and orchestral ensembles around the UK. He is also pleased to be taking part in the Orchestra of the Age of Enlightenment Experience Scheme from 2024-25 as a keyboard continuo player.

Callum is also currently the Assistant Director of Music at St Mary's Church, Putney. He has recently given solo organ and harpsichord recitals at Grosvenor Chapel, Temple Church, St Anne’s Kew, Handel Hendrix House, and Canterbury Cathedral.