Join Georgettes at we celebrate 100 years since the publication of Georgette Heyer’s Eighteenth-Century novel These Old Shades at The Bodleian Library and the Divinity School the University of Oxford, graciously supported by the Heyer Estate.

The Bodleian Library and Georgettes of Oxford will be hosting a series of free events on Sunday the 4th of October from 11am till 4pm. Followed by an Eighteenth-Century Ball at the Divinity School 6:30-9:45pm.

These Old Shades at The Bodleian

Join Georgettes of Oxford for a free day of all things Georgette Heyer at the Weston Library, part of The Bodleian, including academic talks on Heyer, Baroque and Contra Dance performances accompanied by period music played on authentic instruments, dance workshops, performances of selected scenes from These Old Shades, a living library including topics such as the similarity between Heyer and Chinese and Korean Dramas, Heyer and AI, book groups and more!

Invited speakers
Dr Jennifer Kloester, as well as having published three books on Heyer, Dr Kloester holds a PhD in Georgette Heyer awarded by the University of Melbourne.
Dr Sam Hirst holds a PhD in the Theology of the Early British Gothic from Manchester Metropolitan University; she has published on many Gothic Romance authors including Heyer, and as part of her online education group Romancing the Gothic she hosted the conference My Poor Devil: Georgette Heyer’s The Black Moth at 100.
Dr Hillary Burlock is an eighteenth-century social and cultural historian; her research explores the connections between sociability, political culture, embodiment, and dance.
Richard Marren researches material culture of the Eighteenth and early Nineteenth-Centuries; one of his main areas of research is the 23rd Regiment of Foot (the Royal Welch Fusiliers) and runs the UK based reenactment group dedicated to the portrayal of The Royal Welch Fusiliers in the 18th Century.

With Baroque and Eighteenth-Century contra dance by
Georgettes of Oxford is an Eighteenth and early Nineteenth-Century society with over 40 members in Oxford, having danced at numerous venues including: the Jane Austen House Museum, the Bank of England, Wembley Stadium, Windsor Castle and also appearances on BBC1 and Channel 5.
Fernando Santiago having studied music at the São Paulo State University, the Versailles Centre for Baroque Music, and the OSESP Music Academy, his is a violinist of both modern and baroque, interested in the worlds of rhetoric, historical dances, and drama; and has studied Baroque dance under Mary Collins.
Freya Hadfield studied Baroque dance under Philippa Waite and now teaches Theatrical and Baroque Court dances at the Bath Minuet Company.
Helen Davidge studied Baroque dance under Barbara Segal; she now runs Georgettes of Oxford and is the first person in modern times to have taken Baroque dance to Malaysia, collaborating with Malaysia’s only early music group Wicked Music People.

Actors
Erika Sanderson trained at the Royal Central School of Speech and Drama in London. A highly versatile character actor, Erika has created a myriad of roles in a variety of genres from children’s theatre to classical plays and musical theatre. An award-winning voice actor, she can regularly be heard on The NoSleep Podcast as a narrator and voice actor, as well as appearing in other audio dramas and video games. She has previously collaborated with Georgettes of Oxford in dramatic performances to celebrate the 250th birthday of Jane Austen

Early Music Musicians
Diane Darwish studied at Chetham’s Music School and then Cambridge University. Afterwards she specialised in historic performance with Simon Standage (RAM) and then Enrico Gatti (Milan). She leads the Purcell Orchestra and various chamber groups (of which she is a founding member) and has performed and recorded with numerous British and continental orchestras. Diane has toured throughout Europe and the USA, as well as Brazil, Japan, Singapore, Taiwan, Norway, Mexico and India. She currently enjoys a varied musical life, combining orchestral leading, chamber music, freelance orchestral work, teaching, coaching and conducting.
Ibrahim Aziz is a viola da gamba player performing old and new music on his instrument. A regular with The Rose Consort of Viols, Chelys Consort and several other early music ensembles, he also works with modern orchestras from time to time including the Malaysian Philharmonic Orchestra. He has recorded on the BIS, Delphian, Signum and other labels and has two solo albums on First Hand Records.
William Summers gained a music degree from Colchester Institute’s School of Music, he then specialised in studying early music at Trinity College of Music, London. His dual track performing career encompasses Baroque orchestras, chamber music, the Medieval rock band Circulus and the Aztec band Tunkul. He co-founded International Crumhorn Day (3rd. October). William teaches recorder and flute for local music services and in adult education and conducts for the Society of Recorder Players. He has also appeared as a musician in TV and Film, including: Poldark, Bridgerton, Maleficen. Current work includes projects with dancers, actors, poets and composers, and research interests focus on eighteenth-century Twickenham and London.
Yeo Yat-Soon studied at King’s College London and then at the Guildhall School of Music, winning the Raymond Russell Prize for Harpsichord. He performs widely as a solo and ensemble harpsichordist and regular with Follia, Bloomsbury Baroque and Camerata Berolinensis. He received a Continuo Foundation for his project: Divertissements Chinois exploring musical links between China and Europe during the Ming and Qing dynasties. In baroque opera Yat-Soon has conducted for London Baroque Opera, City of London Festival and Opéra de Baugé. He has broadcast for BBC1, Channel 4, BBC Radio 3 and Classic FM. He currently teaches harpsichord and lectures on Historical Performance at the University of Birmingham.

These Old Shades at The Divinity School

Be transported back to Eighteenth-Century Versailles, the ballrooms of London and Paris with the period music of Follia at Georgettes’ These Old Shades Ball at the Divinity School.

Follia is a flexible group of baroque musicians specializing in programmes of Seventeenth and Eighteenth-Century chamber music. They all play on instruments of the period or faithful reproductions. They present carefully researched programmes, including curated introductions, which draw on related artistic developments such as art and literature to bring interesting historical perspectives on this fascinating period of history. They perform regularly throughout the London, South East England and East Anglia often in historical settings.

Ticket information to follow