Gerald Place - tenor, recorders, gamba
Dorothy Linell - lutes

Don't expect a mere song recital from duo England's Helicon: you'll hear not only voice and lute, but also viols, recorders and cornamuse, recreating the rich sound- world of the English renaissance.

Their authentically-costumed performances combine music with contemporary accounts to bring the whole period vividly to life. A recent addition to their programmes is the fully-staged show "A Perfect Fool", about singer-actor Robert Armin, the star of Shakespeare's late plays, specially written for them by Charles Davenant.

The duo have toured all over the British Isles,and are now gathering an international reputation with a major new release on the Naxos label: Music for Shakespeare's Theatre, which features a wealth of new material.

Gerald Place has worked in theatre, opera-house, cinema and television, including singing as a soloist in BAFTA and Italia-Prize winning films. He broadcasts regularly and has narrated music documentaries for ZDF TV in Germany. He has sung with many leading ensembles ranging from the Sixteen to the London Sinfonietta.

Dorothy Linell has played instruments from baroque guitar to banjo in venues from Memphis to Moscow. As an accompanist her distinguished recital partners include counter-tenor James Bowman. She is also a busy continuo player in both concert hall and opera house, including Nigel Kennedy's Four Seasons DVD. On Channel 4 she has been heard playing Andy Price's incidental music for David Starkey's series on King Henry VIII and Elizabeth 1^st.