The Artisans are a lively band of four young musicians who bring Medieval and Renaissance music bang up to date. The group comprises Emily Askew on vielle, recorders, bagpipes, percussion and shawm; Hazel Askew, voice and medieval harp; Sarah Stuart, percussion and vielle; and Victoria Couper, voice. Each band member brings experience from a diversity of musical genres, including folk, world and early music and it is this background that allows them to create fresh and exciting interpretations of ancient music, while remaining true to its historical origins.

Having played at numerous festivals, concert series, music clubs and societies in venues across England, including Brighton Pavilion and Christchurch Spitalfields, the Artisans will be performing a series of concerts during May at local West Country venues, including St Stephen's, Exeter on Saturday 17 May, 7.30pm.

The band are impressive to watch, particularly as they perform most of their repertoire from memory. This encompasses a wide selection of well researched music from England, France, Spain and Italy on a range of fascinating ancient instruments including recorders, bagpipes, vielle, medieval harp, shawm, and percussion. A review by Clare Norburn of the Brighton Early Music Festival sums up their style and ability perfectly: “The Artisans dust off medieval music, bringing it to vibrant life and connecting directly with audiences through their sheer inventiveness and infectious enjoyment of the music.”

Catherine Hodgson, founder and Director of Concerts in the West said: "The Artisans are one of my favourite ancient music bands and I love seeing them perform. They are extremely relaxed, yet at the same time they play and sing with tremendous energy and verve. I defy anyone who is sceptical about medieval music not to come and enjoy The Artisans. They have a range of loud and quiet instruments, which means that they play music to suit their surroundings, which is perfect for our type of local venues."

Emily Askew is the director of The Artisans and a highly versatile musician with a passion for all kinds of music from folk to medieval, baroque and contemporary. She graduated with a first class honours BMUS degree from the Guildhall School of Music and Drama and, as a member of the Askew Sisters, has twice been a BBC Young Folk Award semi-finalist and winner of the 2005 New Roots competition. In addition to The Artisans, she plays with The Dufay Collective, another early music ensemble, and enjoys collaborating with different art forms, including puppetry, dance, opera and theatre. She has performed at Glyndebourne, the Globe Theatre, the Apollo Theatre and with the Hampstead Players.

Emily's sister Hazel Askew studied English Literature with Folk Music at Newcastle University, where she won the Harry Clews Prize for highest mark in a final recital. With her sister she has been a semi-finalist in the BBC Radio 2 Young Folk Award and in 2011 won Best Female Singer at the Spiral Earth Folk Awards. She plays in a variety of bands, including The Askew Sisters and vocal harmony trio, Lady Maisery. In 2010 she was chosen as a soloist for Brighton Early Music Festival's world premiere of DeadHead. In 2013 Hazel composed the score and musically directed a production of King Lear for Shakespeare in Styria, as well as a production of Antony and Cleopatra for London's Hampstead Players.

Victoria Couper studied Ethnomusicology at SOAS, University of London, focusing on Judeo-Spanish song, since when she has performed with an impressive variety of musical ensembles and theatrical productions. A selection of which include: Gare St Lazare Players and Paul Clark’s Here All Night (Brighton Festival); Damon Albarn and Rufus Norris’s Dr Dee as Young Katherine (ENO; MIF; Later with Jools Holland, BBC2); World premiere of Stevie Wishart’s Out of This World with Sinfonye and the BBC Singers (BBC Proms; Herrenhausen Festival); World premiere of Howard Moody and Helen Chadwick’s Where Two Worlds Touch (Salisbury Festival); Grand Union Orchestra’s Trading Roots with the BBC Concert Orchestra (BBC Radio3); Schola Pietatis Antonio Vivaldi’s Peter Ackroyd’s Venice, Vivaldi’s Women and Gloria with the OAE (BBC4 & BBC Radio3).

Sarah Stuart began her period performance career as an apprentice on the Orchestra of the Age of Enlightenment's experience scheme for young players. As a percussionist she has collected a fascinating assortment of percussion instruments, dating back to ancient times, including the Moroccan bender drum. Sarah has a First Class Honours degree in percussion studies from the Royal Northern College of Music's joint course with the University of Manchester and in her final year won a Gold Medal (top solo recital prize). She has worked as a freelance percussionist with several leading orchestras in the UK, including the London Philharmonic Orchestra as a member of their Future Firsts programme. She was the first RNCM student to take a portion of her instrumental studies in folk music.

The musical programme for the evening concert at St Stephen's is:

Lauda Novella, Laudario di Cortona (13th Century Italy); Lamento/La Rotta Anon (14th Century Italy); Gloria Anon (14th Century Italy); Saltarello Anon (14th Century Italy); Eno pouco CSM 354 Cantigas de Santa Maria (13th Century Iberia); O ffondo do mar CSM 383 Cantigas de Santa Maria (13th Century Iberia); Quen boo dona querra CSM 160 Cantigas de Santa Maria (13th Century Iberia); Stella Splendens Llibre Vermell (14th Century Iberia); Los set gotxs Llibre Mermell (14th Century Iberia); Imperayritz Llibre Mermell (14th Century Iberia); Cuncti Simus Llibre Mermell (14th Century Iberia); Mariam Matrem Llibre Mermell (14th Century Iberia); A L'entrade del tems clar Anon (12th Century France); Huic Main Anon (13th Century France); Volez Vous Trouvere (12th Century France); Estampie Utime Le Manuscript du Roi (13th Century France); Amors Mart Trouvere (12th Century France); Alle psallite Montpellier Codex; Estampie Septieme Le Manuscript du Roi (13th Century France); Jesu Cristes milde moder Anon (13th Century England); Ductias Anon (13th Century England); Edi Beo Anon (13th Century England); Henry VIII.

Performance and Box Office Details for The Artisans:

• Saturday 17 May 2014 7.30pm, St Stephen's, High Street, Exeter, Devon. Box Office: 01392 667080 (Exeter Phoenix, Gandy Street, Exeter, Devon EX4 3LS) Tickets: £14. Town parking available, interval drinks, disabled access. (New Venue)

For further information about this concert, contact Catherine Hodgson, Director, Concerts in the West. Tel: 01460 53500, email: concertsinthewest@gmail.com or visit www.concertsinthewest.org