+ Consort of Twelve

‘An ensemble of musicians who specialise in the performance of Baroque music using the styles, techniques and instruments of the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries. The Consort was founded in 1982 and has hosted ... concerts both in the Chichester area and farther afield ... Many people ask why we call ourselves The Consort of Twelve, when in fact we are usually more than that number. Here's the explanation. "The Consort of ..." was  a title commonly given to bands that accompanied masques in the early years of the seventeenth century. Since we originally formed with about twelve strings players, often with two oboes, we adopted this title for our first performance with Opera 70 in 1981.’