Bojan Čičić and Steven Devine
Saturday 2 May 2026, 7.30pm
Parish Church of St Peter & St Paul, Tonbridge
Bojan Čičić – violin
Steven Devine – harpsichord
Join early music pioneers Bojan Čičić and Steven Devine for an extraordinary evening exploring the rich and vibrant sounds of the past. This captivating programme presents two fascinating “pairs” of composers—each pairing featuring a lesser-known talent alongside a celebrated contemporary—offering a rare opportunity to discover hidden gems alongside familiar masterpieces.
Programme
Handel – Sonata in D major HWV 371
Carbonelli – Sonate da camera, 1729, Sonata I
Krebs – Praeambulum III (KrebsWV 815)
Bach – Sonata in A Major BWV 1015
Bach – Sonata in G Major BWV 1019
Krebs – Praeambulum VI (KrebsWV 818)
Handel – Allegro in G major for solo violin HWV 407
Handel – Sonata in G major HWV 358
Carbonelli – Sonata VI
Giovanni Stefano Carbonelli was born in Livorno and soon embarked on a path in becoming a violinist, firstly as a pupil of Arcangelo Corelli in Rome and later as a violinist in Venice. Antonio Vivaldi even dedicated one of his violin concertos to him around 1716, when Carbonelli visited Venice for work in an orchestra, probably during the Carnival period. He came to England at the invitation of the 3rd Duke of Rutland in 1719 and eventually ended up as leader of Handel’s Oratorio Orchestra for a performance of Deborah, in 1744.
Johann Ludwig Krebs was taught by Bach, but he became a major part of the Bach “circle” – he was main organist at performances when Bach directed from the harpsichord, he was one of the most trusted copyists of parts for Bach’s major works, and he was a respected player and composer in his own right. His style shows the new fashion for simpler-textured music but is no less sophisticated for that.
“Bojan Čičić’s interpretations are both visceral and thoughtful, underpinned by a magisterial virtuosity” (BBC Music Magazine)
“Devine’s readings are flowing and logical, with variety brought to the entire set first and foremost by his extraordinarily sensitive articulation” (Gramophone)
Standard ticket £25 | Students & Under 18s £5
Under 16s must be accompanied by an adult
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Croatian-born violinist Bojan Čičić has established himself as one of the leading names on the early music scene, as both a soloist and music director.
In addition to being the leader of the Academy of Ancient Music, he directs ensembles including De Nederlandse Bachvereniging, Dunedin Consort, Slovenian Philharmonic Orchestra and Phion Orkest van Gelderland & Overijssel.
As a soloist he appeared with Academy of Ancient Music, Orchestra of the 18th-Century, Kioi Hall Chamber Orchestra Tokyo and Orquesta Barocca de Sevilla.
Bojan formed his own group, Illyria Consort, which explores and specialises in lesser known repertoire of the 17th and 18th centuries. Their debut Delphian Records album of Giovanni Stefano Carbonelli: Sonate da camera achieved great critical acclaim and won “Presto Recordings of the Year Award” in 2017. Their collaboration with Marian Consort titled Adriatic Voyage won the same award in 2021. The same year saw the release of Pyrotechnia featuring Italian virtuoso violin concertos by Vivaldi, Tartini and Locatelli (“a thrilling musical discovery”- Classical Music Daily).
In 2022, Illyria Consort released the first ever complete recording of Johann Jacob Walther: Scherzi da violino solo (“enviously spontaneous and carefree” – Gramophone), as well as an album of Christmas instrumental music titled La Notte (“One for every December!”- BBC Music Magazine)
His recent recording of JS Bach: Sonatas and Partitas was nominated for the Critic’s Choice 2023 in the Gramophone Magazine and Editor’s Choice in BBC Music Magazine.
In 2016, Bojan was appointed Professor of Baroque Violin at the Royal College of Music, and is passionate about training the next generation of instrumentalists in historically-informed performing styles.
In 2025 he begins an exciting new venture as Artistic Director of the Lyra Baroque Orchestra in Saint Paul, Minnesota.
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 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, Dittersdorf and Viotti with the English Haydn Orchestra; Handel, Vivaldi and Porpora with Ann Hallenberg and Trondheim Barokk; Bach Christmas Oratorio with the Norwegian Wind Ensemble; Handel Solomon with Victoria Baroque Players, British Columbia 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,
Devine’s opera repertoire includes works by Purcell, Cavalli, Handel, Haydn and Mozart as well as rarities by Galuppi, Salieri and Cimarosa. His recordings include Dido & Aeneas with the Orchestra of the Age of Enlightenment and Sarah Connolly in the title role.
As a keyboard player, he is the Principal Keyboard Player with the Orchestra of the Age of Enlightenment and also the principal keyboard player for The Gonzaga Band, The Mozartists and performs regularly with many other groups around Europe. He has recorded over thirty discs with other artists and ensembles and made many solo recordings. His recording of Bach’s Goldberg Variations (Chandos Records) has received critical acclaim – including Gramophone magazine describing it as “among the best”. The complete harpsichord works of Rameau (Resonus) has received five-star reviews from BBC Music Magazine. Steven has recently released Bach’s Well-Tempered Clavier (“it’s the one of all I’ve heard in the past ten years that I am happiest to live with.” Early Music Review). He is currently engaged in recording the complete harpsichord works of Johann Ludwig Krebs, Bach’s favourite student.
Steven Devine was educated at Chetham’s School of Music before reading Music at St Peter’s College, Oxford. He was Director of Opera Restor’d from 2002-2010 and Kurator and Conductor of the Norwegian Wind Ensemble from 2016-2018.
