STEVEN DEVINE: The only Crayfish in the Brook
St Mary's Church, Surrey, KT11 3PX
Thursday 16th July 2026
The only Crayfish in the Brook
J. S. Bach and J. L. Krebs were two well-known keyboard composers in 18th century Germany, with a wide range of published music for the harpsichord. The title of this programme is taken from Johann Nicholaus Forkel's biography of J. S. Bach, where he uses an entertaining play on the names of the two composers to place them together in the landscape of 18th c. German keyboard music: the name "Krebs" meaning a crustacean of some kind, and "Bach" meaning a small stream or brook.
Artist Biography
Steven Devine combines a career as a conductor and director of orchestral, choral and opera repertoire with that of a solo harpsichordist and fortepianist. He is the Conductor and Artistic Advisor of The English Haydn Festival; Music Director of New Chamber Opera, Oxford and Director of the Orchestra of the Age of Enlightenment’s “Bach the Universe & Everything” series.
On the concert platform, he has directed Purcell, Blow, Bach, Handel and Mozart with the Orchestra of the Age of Enlightenment; Bach Easter Oratorio with the BBC National Orchestra of Wales; Haydn, Handel, CPE Bach, JC Bach, Ditterdorf and Viotti with the English Haydn Orchestra; Handel, Vivaldi and Porpora Trondheim Barokk, Bach Christmas Oratorio with the Norwegian Wind Ensemble; Handel Solomon as well as JS and CPE Bach programmes with Victoria Baroque Players, British Columbia, Handel Belshazzar at the Valetta Festival and Handel Music for the Royal Fireworks with Arion Baroque Ensemble, Montreal.
He has also directed programmes with the Academy of Ancient Music, Academie d’Ambronay, the Mozart Festival Orchestra and St Paul’s Chamber Orchestra.
PLEASE NOTE: Originally this programme included Matthew Brown, harpsichord, as a guest artist, who has regrettably had to withdraw. Steven will present a solo harpsichord recital instead.
J. S. Bach and J. L. Krebs were two well-known keyboard composers in 18th century Germany, with a wide range of published music for the harpsichord. The title of this programme is taken from Johann Nicholaus Forkel's biography of J. S. Bach, where he uses an entertaining play on the names of the two composers to place them together in the landscape of 18th c. German keyboard music: the name "Krebs" meaning a crustacean of some kind, and "Bach" meaning a small stream or brook.
Artist Biography
Steven Devine combines a career as a conductor and director of orchestral, choral and opera repertoire with that of a solo harpsichordist and fortepianist. He is the Conductor and Artistic Advisor of The English Haydn Festival; Music Director of New Chamber Opera, Oxford and Director of the Orchestra of the Age of Enlightenment’s “Bach the Universe & Everything” series.
PLEASE NOTE: Originally this programme included Matthew Brown, harpsichord, as a guest artist, who has regrettably had to withdraw. Steven will present a solo harpsichord recital instead.
