Biography
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following biographical summary is suitable for promoters to download
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Lynda
Sayce is one of the UK's leading lutenists, and is noted both as a performer
and as a musical scholar with a strong interest in history, literature
and the visual arts. She studied at St. Hugh's College, Oxford, where
she matriculated in History and graduated in Music. She then studied
lute with Jakob Lindberg at the Royal College of Music, and also took
continuo classes with Nigel North. She holds a Ph.D for her research
on the history of the theorbo, which is to be published as two books
in 2005-6. Lynda has contributed articles to Early Music, the Revised
New Grove Dictionary of Music, and the art journal Apollo, and has edited
many music publications. She performs regularly with leading period
instrument ensembles, including The King's Consort, the Academy of Ancient
Music, the Orchestra of the Age of Enlightenment, and the Musicians
of the Globe. For many years she was lutenist with the award-winning
ensemble Charivari Agréable. Lynda appears on more than 100 CD
recordings, and has broadcast on radio and TV stations throughout Europe,
and in the USA, Japan and South America.
Photography by Ian Baldwin.
Theorbo by David Van
Edwards after Magno Tieffenbrucker III.

Detailed
Biography
Lynda
Sayce is one of the UK's leading lutenists, and is noted both as a performer
and as a musical scholar with a strong interest in history, literature
and the visual arts. She studied at St Hughs College, Oxford,
matriculating in History and graduating in Music. There she heard a
lute for the first time and was immediately entranced by its sound and
its music. With the aid of a borrowed lute and a hand-copied version
of a 1603 lute tutor, she began to explore that repertory at first hand,
and has never stopped. After
completing her degree she spent two years at the Royal College of Music
studying lute with Jakob Lindberg. She also received guidance in continuo
playing from Nigel North. Whilst at college she acquired her first theorbo,
a copy by David Van Edwards of a 1608 Venetian instrument by Magno Tieffenbrucker
III, coincidentally housed in the instrument museum at the RCM. Finding
herself the keeper of the largest, loudest theorbo on the London continuo
circuit, (see the photo above!) she set about learning to play it, to
take advantage of the notoriety which the instrument was rapidly acquiring.
Becoming increasingly fascinated by the theorbo's possibilities, she
began to research its history, examining many surviving examples in
museums around the world, and commissioning copies or reconstructions
of different types. The research led to a doctoral thesis on the history
of the archlute and theorbo, completed in 2001, which is shortly to
be published by Scarecrow Press as a history of those instruments and
a separate repertory guide. Lynda has also written articles for Early
Music, the art journal Apollo, and has contributed several lute-related
articles to the revised Grove Dictionary of Music.
Lynda
appears on more than 100 CD recordings, and has broadcast on radio and
TV stations throughout Europe, in the USA, South America and Japan.
She is a regular performer with leading period instrument ensembles
including The Kings Consort, the Academy of Ancient Music, the
Orchestra of the Age of Enlightenment, and the Musicians of the Globe,
and she was for many years the lutenist with the award-winning ensemble
Charivari Agréable. Her latest ensemble venture is the international
trio Stella Vagans, which explores the beguiling sound world of soprano
voice accompanied by harp, lute, theorbo, guitar and viola da gamba.
Lyndas solo repertory ranges from the 15th to the early 19th centuries
on lute, and she has recently begun to explore the later 19th century,
after discovering an exquisite mid-19th century French guitar in Oxfam.
She is also interested in modern lute music, and actively encourages
composers to write for the lute. An experienced and enthusiastic lecturer,
Lynda also combines performances with entertaining lecture recitals
and educational work on a variety of topics, often drawing on her large
instrument collection which includes many unique reconstructions of
unusual lute types.
In her spare time Lynda plays early flutes for fun, and enjoys exploring
Britains waterways in a sea kayak.