Ex Cathedra

Ex Cathedra

Ex Cathedra is a professional ensemble based in Birmingham, United Kingdom. It operates as an orchestra, choir and consort, and specialises in Baroque and early music performed with voices or period instruments. The group is active from 1969 to the present and is led by Artistic Director Jeffrey Skidmore, with Nicolette Moonen as leader of the orchestra. Amy Wood is listed as a member.

History and development

Ex Cathedra is founded in Birmingham by Jeffrey Skidmore as a chamber choir in 1971. It later expands into an associated orchestra in 1983, which is the first orchestra using period instruments to be founded in the United Kingdom outside London. Over time, the ensemble grows from early music performance into a wider repertoire, while retaining its focus on pre-classical music.

Repertoire and activity

Although Ex Cathedra is centred on medieval, Baroque and early music, it also performs works outside that field and commissions contemporary pieces in order to bridge different musical genres and performance styles. The ensemble appears regularly in venues across the Birmingham area, performs elsewhere in the United Kingdom and internationally, records regularly, and maintains an active education programme.