Jamie Savan is Professor of Performance-led Research in聽Music and Director of Research聽at Royal聽探花直播 Conservatoire, and co-director of BCU's Performance Research Hub. He joined BCU in 2016, having previously worked as聽a Senior Lecturer and Head of Performance聽at Newcastle University.
Best known as a performer of the Renaissance cornett, as director of聽 and a member of , he also works as a solo recitalist, and as an orchestral principal with the English Baroque Soloists (Sir John Eliot Gardiner).聽He has聽performed聽in most European countries, as well as the USA, Mexico, Israel, Russia and Japan, and聽his playing may be heard on聽over 40聽commercial CD recordings (significant research-led recordings are listed below; a full discography may be found on聽his聽).
He is聽also interested in organology, with some of聽his recent work focusing on the application of emerging 3D-printing technologies for organological research (see the聽聽for more details).
Jamie's research has been published in journals such as Early Music and the Historic Brass Society Journal, and he is a contributor to the revised聽Grove Dictionary of Musical Instruments聽(2015) and the聽Cambridge Encyclopedia of Historical Performance Practice (2018).
Between 1997 and 2010, Jamie worked variously as a visiting lecturer / tutor at the University of Hull, University of 探花直播, Guildhall School of Music and Drama, and the Royal Welsh College of Music and Drama. He has given invited lectures and guest masterclasses at many institutions in the UK, Europe and the Juilliard School, New York City.
- FHEA (2013)
- Certificate of Advanced Studies in Academic Practice, Distinction, Newcastle University (2013)
- PhD in Performance Practice, University of 探花直播 (2005)
- MA in Music, History and Culture, Oxford Brookes University (2000)
- Postgraduate Diploma in Performance (Early Music Specialist), Royal College of Music (2000)
- BA in Music, First Class Honours, University of Oxford (1997)
- LTCL in Trumpet Teaching
- ARCM (Honours) in Trumpet Performance
- Also studied as an external student at the Schola Cantorum Basilensis, Switzerland, 2000-03
- Subpanel 33 REF2021
- AHRC Peer Review College (2017-)
- Conservatoires UK Research Forum
- Fellow, Higher Education Academy (2013)
Jamie is currently teaching on the聽Music course, principally in its undergraduate Performance Traditions module and postgraduate Historical Performance Practice module.
Jamie's principal research interests include:
- Performance-led research
- Historical performance practice, c.1500-1750
- Renaissance improvisation and ornamentation
- Notation and editing
- Organology
Jamie is currently director of studies for the following doctoral research projects:
Bill Hunt: Edmund Hooper and the English Consort Anthem (critical edition).
Shi Ling Chin: performance-led investigation of the relationship between dance, gesture and music in the chaconne repertoire for solo violin (Baroque and 20th/21st century).
Recent completions:
Helen Roberts: wind instruments in English cathedrals, c.1580-1680 (awarded 2020).
Journal articles
- 'Revoicing a "choice eunuch": the cornett and historical models of vocality',聽Early Music 46 (2018), 561-578.
- 鈥楿nlocking the Mysteries of the Venetian Cornett: ad imitar piu la voce humana鈥�, Historic Brass Society Journal 28 (2016), 31-55.
- (with Ricardo Simian) 鈥楥AD modelling and 3D printing for musical instrument research: the Renaissance cornett as a case study鈥�, Early Music 42 (2014), 537-544.
- 鈥楩谤辞尘 Hornet to Cornett: In Search of the 鈥淢issing Link鈥濃��, Historic Brass Society Journal 24 (2012), 1-23.
- 鈥楾he Cornett and the 鈥淥rglische Art鈥�: Ornamentation in Early Sixteenth-Century Germany鈥�, Historic Brass Society Journal 20 (2008), 1-21.
Recordings
Jamie is featured as a named artist on over 40 commercial recordings. The following select list includes those which are substantially underpinned by his own research:
- Amadio Freddi:聽Vespers (1616), The Gonzaga Band, dir Jamie Savan (Resonus Classics, 2019).
- Venice 1629, The Gonzaga Band, dir. Jamie Savan (Resonus Classics, 2018).
- La Luchesina: Vocal and Instrumental Music of Gioseffo Guami (1542-1611), His Majesty鈥檚 Sagbutts & Cornetts, dir. Jamie Savan (SFZ Music SFZM0115, 2015). Booklet notes by Jamie Savan. [鈥淎 truly noble recording鈥� an inspiration鈥�, Historic Brass Society]
- Northumbrian Exchanges: Exploring Common Ground(s) between Folk and Early Music, The Northern Early Music Collective and graduates of the ICMuS Folk degree, dir. Jamie Savan (SFZ Music SFZM0114, 2014). Funded by the AHRC as part of the 鈥楴orthumbrian Exchanges鈥� project.
- Chamber Vespers: Miniature Masterpieces of the Italian Baroque, The Gonzaga Band, dir. Jamie Savan (Chandos CHAN0782, 2011). Booklet notes by Jamie Savan. [鈥淐ongregations in 17th-century Ancona or Bologna would have been lucky indeed to hear instrumental playing remotely as vivid as the Gonzaga Band鈥檚鈥�, Gramophone; 鈥淪avan and company have an instinctive feel for this repertoire, their persuasive performances delivered with terrific flair and panache鈥�, BBC Music.]
- Concerti Curiosi, Charivari Agr茅able, dir. Kah-Ming Ng (Signum SIGCD249, 2011). Featuring Jamie Savan as soloist in concertos by Baldassari and Berlin (premiere recordings based on performing editions by Jamie Savan). [鈥淛amie Savan, one of England's finest young cornettists, is privileged to play these two extraordinary works and does so superbly鈥�, International Record Review.]
- Giovanni Gabrieli & Contemporaries: Canzoni per sonare (1608), His Majesty鈥檚 Sagbutts & Cornetts with the Purcell Quartet and Chordophony, dir. Jamie Savan (Sfz Music SFZM0209, 2009). Booklet notes by Jamie Savan. [鈥淥utstanding artistry鈥� combining virtuosic playing with interesting interpretations鈥�, Historic Brass Society.]
- Sacred Garland: Devotional Chamber Music from the Age of Monteverdi, The Gonzaga Band, dir. Jamie Savan (Chandos CHAN0761, 2009). Booklet notes by Jamie Savan. [鈥淔aultless and fascinating鈥�, Gramophone; 鈥淐D of the Week鈥�, ABC Classic FM Radio, Australia.]
- Buccaneer: Music from England and Spain, His Majesty鈥檚 Sagbutts & Cornetts, dir. Jamie Savan and Adam Woolf (Sfz Music SFZM0108, 2008). Booklet notes by Jamie Savan.
- Giovanni Battista Grillo: Complete Instrumental Music & Selected Motets, His Majesty鈥檚 Sagbutts & Cornetts, dir. Jamie Savan (Sfz Music SFZ0107, 2007). Booklet notes by Jamie Savan. [鈥淪plendid recording 鈥� gorgeously rich and satisfying鈥�, Daily Telegraph.]
Live performance project
- Gabrieli 脿 2(2): a multi-channel digital performance concept, developed at Newcastle University in collaboration with Adam Woolf (sackbuts) and John Ayers (electronics). Performances at the Newcastle Early Music Festival (February 2012), the National Centre for Early Music in York (October 2012) and Durham Cathedral (February 2013). Extended review article by Elizabeth Haddon, Early Music 43/4 (2015), 683-686.
Conferences
- 13 July 2018: 鈥楾empo, Tactus, and Triple-time relations in music from Venice, 1629鈥�, paper given at the Biennial Baroque Conference, Cremona.
- 13 July 2017: 鈥楴ew Perspectives on the Venetian Cornett鈥�, lecture recital at the Third International Symposium of the Historic Brass Society, New York University.
- 14 January 2017: 鈥楻evoicing a 鈥淐hoice Eunuch鈥�: The Cornett and Historical Modes of Vocality鈥�, paper at the Vocality/Instrumentality Conference, University of Huddersfield. Revised versions of this paper given at the public research seminar series at 探花直播 Conservatoire, 28 February 2017, and at Andrew Parrott鈥檚 Taverner Symposium, Oxford University, 23 April 2017.
- 18 January 2016: 鈥�The CyberZink project: how can 3D printing contribute to our understanding of historical instruments and performance practices?鈥�, public lecture series, Guildhall School of Music and Drama.
- 18 January 2016: 鈥楶erformance and/as Research鈥�, doctoral seminar, Guildhall School of Music and Drama.
- 27 September 2015: 鈥楾he Venetian Cornetto: ad imitar piu la voce humana鈥�, paper given at the Galpin Society Conference, Cambridge University.
- 27 March 2017: BBC Radio 3, 鈥業n Tune鈥�, live performance and interview, with HMSC
- 26 August 2015: BBC Radio 3, 鈥業n Tune鈥�, live performance and interview about the CD release 鈥楪ioseffo Guami: La Luchesina鈥�, with HMSC
- 7 July 2015: BBC Radio 3, 鈥楾he Early Music Show鈥�, live performance and interview at the Manchester International Festival, with HMSC
