For Léon the days passed swiftly, each one teeming with some new excitement. – These Old Shades

Join Georgettes of Oxford at the Weston Library at the Bodleian on Sunday the 4^th of October for a day of celebrating 100 years of These Old Shades by Georgette Heyer, graciously supported by the Heyer Estate.

Date: Sunday the 4^th of October
Time: 11am – 4pm
Cost: FREE
Venue: The Weston Library, The Bodleian, Broad Street, Oxford, OX1 3BG
For parking, we recommend parking at one of the Park and Rides and getting a bus in. Further details about Oxford’s Park and Ride, please see here.

11:15 – 11:30 Selected scenes from These Old Shades performed by Erika Sanderson and Helen Davidge in Blackwell Hall. Join Erika and Helen for the world’s first performance of These Old Shades, where they shall be performing four scenes from the novel showing the evolution of the relationship between to the two lead characters.

11:15 – 12:00  Regency Buck book group led by Prof Anna Nekaris OBE in the Space for Reading 

11:40 – 12:20 ‘100 Years On: the Story of These Old Shades’ – Talk by Dr Jen Kloester
written when Georgette Heyer was just 20 years old, the book that would become a beloved fan favourite and an international bestseller was intended as a sequel to her teenage novel, The Black Moth. A superlative achievement for such a young writer, These Old Shades remains etched in the reader’s memory. From its visual and visceral opening to its dramatic and moving conclusion it is a book that has stirred the hearts of four generations of appreciative readers. But there is more to this novel than meets the eye and the story of its creation and eventual publication reveals much of the young Georgette’s attitudes, ideals, and early writing life. This talk traces the history of a remarkable book and its even more remarkable author. Years in the making and one hundred years on, still selling.
As well as having published three books on Heyer, Dr Kloester holds a PhD in Georgette Heyer awarded by the University of Melbourne.

12:00 – 12:15 Selected scenes from These Old Shades performed by Erika Sanderson and Helen Davidge in Blackwell Hall. Join Erika and Helen for the first performances of These Old Shades, where they shall be performing four scenes from the novel showing the evolution of the relationship between to the two lead characters.

12:20 – 13:05 These Old Shades Book group led by Nicolas Walker in the Space for Reading

12:40 – 13:20 ‘British Military uniform from 1740 to 1815’ – Talk by Richard Marren
Georgette Heyers books notably utilised the conflicts Britain faced in the 18th and 19th century as a backdrop to her stories. Richard’s talk will discuss the the evolution of the British army and its soldiers from 1740 to 1815 through its uniforms. Who wore them, how they were constructed and why they fought in them.
Richard Marren is a historical reenactor and craftsperson who has been researching and making the uniforms of the British army for well over 10 years. In particular, the uniforms of the 23rd Regiment of Foot, or ‘Royal Welch Fusiliers’ from the mid 18th to the early 19th century. Going on to wear the uniform at historical sites, battlefields and events across the UK and abroad in order to gain a small insight into the lives of the soldiers who wore them.

13:00 – 13:15 Baroque music and dance display in the Blackwell Hall. As the novel These Old Shades takes place in 18^th century Britain and France we will be having three short dance displays, demonstrating the different types of dance, contra dance in Britain and Baroque dance from the court of Louis XV at Versailles. We will be joined by baroque early music ensemble Follia, from London.

13:15 – 14:00 The Living library
‘The Heyer fandom in the Digital Age’ with Choi Yuei James
‘From Heyer to Hallyu: an exploration into links between Georgette Heyer’s traditional Romantic themes in modern Korean Dramas’ with Michele Rogers
‘What can AI and Data Science tell us about The Black Moth’ with Dr Helen Davidge
‘The Georgette Heyer Podcast’ with Sara-Mae Tuson

14:00 – 14:15 Baroque music and dance display in the Blackwell Hall. As the novel These Old Shades takes place in 18^th century Britain and France we will be having three short dance displays, demonstrating the different types of dance, contra dance in Britain and Baroque dance from the court of Louis XV at Versailles. We will be joined by baroque early music ensemble Follia, from London

14:15 – 15:00 Devil’s Cub book group led by Dr Alison Baxter in the Space for Reading

14:20 – 15:00 ‘Still Selling: The Enduring Success of Georgette Heyer’ – Talk by Dr Jen Kloester
More than fifty years after her death in 1974 Georgette Heyer remains one of the world’s enduring best sellers. Beloved by four generations of readers she created a genre, inspired countless authors and is the subject of many academic articles and theses. This talk will reveal the private woman behind the books.
As well as having published three books on Heyer, Dr Kloester holds a PhD in Georgette Heyer awarded by the University of Melbourne.

15:00 – 15:15 Baroque music and dance display in the Blackwell Hall. As the novel These Old Shades takes place in 18^th century Britain and France we will be having three short dance displays, demonstrating the different types of dance, contra dance in Britain and Baroque dance from the court of Louis XV at Versailles. We will be joined by baroque early music ensemble Follia, from London.

15:00 – 15:40 An Infamous Army book group led by Dr Vanda Wilcox in the Space for Reading

15:40 End

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 Born and raised in Bath, Freya Hadfield has been surrounded by Georgian influence for over 30 years. A classically trained dancer she discovered the world of Baroque as a teenager, and now dances and performs with Consort de Danse Baroque and others, and teaches Baroque dance for the Bath Minuet Company.
Jeremy Badcock has also studied Baroque dance for many years, both in the UK and abroad. He also performs with Consort de Danse Baroque and Bath Minuet Company, including performances in Spain and Japan
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 250^th birthday of Jane Austen.
Helen Davidge has toured professionally throughout the UK and the continent in a variety of productions including fringe and children’s theatre. Previously she has run a children’s drama business and taught classes both in the UK and abroad, including Cambodia; and as the artistic director of Georgettes of Oxford, she was the dance mistress for the first stage production of Death Comes to Pemberley.

Early Music Musicians
Diane Moore 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.