About us - who are Hautbois?

Hautbois are a lively and talented duo that use music as a vehicle for historical entertainment.

They have worked for many years alongside English Heritage, Historic Royal Palaces and National Trust and also appear at many other historical venues.

They have made many appearances performing for television, radio, and films, weddings, concerts and schools.

Visit our diary page to view this year's events.

Hautbois can perform a Millennium of music - from the Normans to the 1940s. To see photographs of the musicians in the costumes which represent these different periods please visit the GALLERY. The musicians are happy to discuss the content of any of their 28 programmes. Should you wish for further information, please contact them via the e-mail link on the BOOKINGS page. You can also choose to add a Christmas flavour to some of the periods on offer. To read a synopsis of these, please visit our CHRISTMAS page.

The musicians use differing styles of performance to suit different types of events: They excel in a unique style of performance which balances a detailed knowledge of the given period in history with the presentation of the music but can command an audience equally well with incidental music or by running an historical dance event where they will teach the dances and play the music to accompany them. They are never afraid to tackle new ideas and always pay attention to detail in every aspect of their presentations.

They also enjoy working as part of a bigger ‘team’ of performers and can interact with others, happily dove-tailing to give an event a feel of uniformity. They have frequently worked with dance groups, falconers, re-enactors, other musicians and actors to achieve a common goal. Some of these groups can be accessed via the references page links from this web-site.

The performances are made using a large selection of reproduction musical instruments, appropriate to the chosen period of history.

All the music played is thoroughly researched as appropriate for the historical period. Although every attention to historical accuracy is observed, the emphasis is upon keeping the show vital, informative and entertaining to all comers.

For outdoor performances, Hautbois can perform from a reproduction hand cart or a canvas covered wagon which provides a stage and also provides shelter and seating for their audiences.

The musicians provide a comprehensive package of workshops for schools where the displays employ a cross-curricular approach and are of great relevance to the National Curriculum. The children are given the opportunity to dress in full period costume, listen to the music and debate important issues to enable a deeper understanding of a given period in history.

We have a CD of our medieval music for sale and are available for bookings all year round.

If you require references please visit the relevant page on this web-site.