CRMSS x I Fagiolini

At our first week-long CRMSS Atlantic course, we were very excited to be linking up with an established professional ensemble for the first time. CRMSS Atlantic 2026 was, therefore, "the I Fagiolini CRMSS course"! I Fagiolini is one of the UK's leading vocal groups specializing in one-per-part singing as well as dramatic and innovative presentations of Renaissance repertoire - sacred and secular. All of the staff were made up of members of the group, and Robert Hollingworth, its founder and director, was with us for the whole week.

La Bella Italia: Music from the birthplace of the Renaissance

I Fagiolini is well-known for its interpretations of Italian madrigal repertoire, in particular the work of Claudio Monteverdi and Carlo Gesualdo. In order to make use of their unique expertise, our repertoire theme at CRMSS Atlantic 2026 was "La Bella Italia: Music from the birthplace of the Renaissance". We interpreted this widely, but this is music very familiar and dear to the members of I Fagiolini who were at the course.

To Monteverdi and Gesualdo, we added Giovanni Pierluigi da Palestrina, of course, but also Tomas Luis de Victoria (who studied and worked in Italy and was a personal friend of Palestrina's), Luca Marenzio, and Jacopo Peri and Giulio Caccini on the solo singing side of things. We also included travelling musicians from northern Europe who were influenced by their time in Italy or indeed made their names working in Italian capitals: Cipriano de Rore, Josquin des Prez, and Orlande de Lassus among many others.

The Italian madrigal was so influential throughout Europe from the early decades of the 16th century through to the birth of the Baroque. This repertoire was a special focus at CRMSS Atlantic 2026.

As well as being world-leading performers of this music, all of the staff members at CRMSS Atlantic 2026 were expert teachers as well, and diction was one of their obsessions. The pronunciation of the language itself was a particular focus of the course. We loved this deep dive into the language, the culture, and the sunshine, coffee, and passion of La Bella Italia!

Choral

A major focus of the week's work is singing together as one large choir, exploring larger scale, mainly sacred a capella music of the Renaissance. The specific repertoire chosen will depend on the distribution of voices amongst the course participants.

We will also divide the participants into two (or perhaps three) smaller chamber groups which work separately, and look at different repertoire from what is covered in the tutti group.

Solo

While the majority of our time is spent preparing ensemble music in choral and small group contexts, good solo vocal technique is of course essential for good singing. This applies to music written in any style and during any time period, including the Renaissance.

Solo singing and good vocal technique are core parts of CRMSS and we believe that solo and ensemble singing can sit comfortably side by side, one informing and enhancing the other.

Participants are enthusiastically encouraged to bring their own solo repertoire written before 1630.

Consort singing: one and two per part vocal chamber music

Any serious amount of time spent getting to know the music of the Renaissance must include small-ensemble singing. The tutors will chose groups and assign them repertoire before the week begins, sending out scores and reference recordings so participants can prepare in advance and come with one or two pieces already learned.

It is in these small group settings that we can best explore secular repertoire from the Renaissance. We believe it is of particular importance that the secular music of this period be covered, as it provides a more vivid picture of the sorts of musical lives these musicians actually lived, be they composers or singers or both.

As with solo repertoire, there will hopefully be opportunities to work on small ensemble music that participants bring themselves.

The pre-formed small groups will all be at least two-singers-per-part. Everyone will be allocated into one of these small groups, and perhaps more than one if numbers allow. There may also be time set aside for even smaller, one-per-part consorts to form and experiment with other repertoire, both on an ad hoc basis and under the direction of a member of staff.

We secured a very economical rate to use the student accommodation at King's, exclusive to us, and less than was advertised on their website.

This did not include food and was for student residence-style accommodation.

Some things to draw your attention to:

• Each room had a twin-sized bed.
• Bathrooms and showers were shared with others staying on your floor or wing.
• Laundry facilities were available.
• Parking at King's was extremely limited.

The booking process for this accommodation began once the application deadline for the course had passed. CRMSS reserved the rooms and the rate, which was guaranteed to us.

We secured a bespoke meal package that all participants were entitled to as part of the King's catering offering. This meant eating in the dining hall at King's each day. Participants did not have to get this package and it was not connected to any accommodation choice. Food and accommodation were completely separate.

There were two options:

• Lunch & Dinner each day. This cost $225.70 for the week.
• Lunch only each day. This was $91.50 for the week.

Breakfast was not included, but you could purchase pastries and coffee each morning.

The process for signing up to these meal plans took place after the application deadline had passed.