Workshops are led by a tutor, normally someone quite well-known. Music is provided and the tutor leads us through, making suggestions for better ensemble and better interpretation. Different workshops call for different forces: singers only; singers plus ‘soft’ instruments (recorders, viols, etc); loud instruments only; and so on. There’s no audition - the music is not too demanding and most people can manage it well enough. At about 4pm we usually finish with a play-through - an informal concert, at which friends are welcome to come and hear what we’ve been doing.

Some workshops are held in fine old buildings, such as Hexham Abbey or the Archbishop’s Palace in York.