} } } } ?> INTERNATIONAL PIPE AND TABOR FESTIVAL 2026 – DRAFT PROGRAMME – Pipe and Tabor

INTERNATIONAL PIPE AND TABOR FESTIVAL 2026 – DRAFT PROGRAMME

IPATF 2026 26th-28th June in York, including playing for the York Mystery Plays on Sun 28th June.

v1d

Friday 26th June

Gather at The Black Swan, Peaseholme Green, York  YO1 7PR  from noon.

2 – 5 pm              Symposium – in the function room of The Black Swan.

5:30 – 6:30 pm  Pipe and Tabor Consort members rehearse helped by Fiz [1].

5 – 7.30 pm         Break for meal at Black Swan [1] or elsewhere.

7.30 – 11.00 pm  Social and informal Session (round the room, “play” or “pass”) in the function room [1].
Including at 9pm Arrangement of Pastime with Good Company used Saturday and Sunday.

Saturday 27th June

9:30 – 10:30 am    Beginners’ Workshop (Gillian Guest) [1].

10:00 – 10:40 am  Assemble at St Martin’s Chapel of Ease, Coney St, York YO1 9QL (costume optional), and play (or beginners may staccato drone) Early English tunes (excluding Song of the Nuns of Chester) used for Saturday evening concert and Sunday’s Mystery Plays on D pipe. (A limited number of wooden pipes may be requested by beginners or taborers who have only pipes looking obviously anachronistic to the general public) . 

11:00 – 11:40 am    Fun rehearsing Petit Riens, Voltate in ca Rosina, Prenes a Gard and Anello  (also Hunt the Squirrel and Washerwomen’s Branle / Branle d’Ecosse if time) with Arbeau – St Martin’s Chapel of Ease (various leaders, we can play them in Saturday performances/concert)

12:00 – 1:30 pm  Performances of Taborers and Arbeau in costume c. 1450-1515 [2], Barley Hall, 2 Coffee Yard, Stonegate, York, GB YO1 8AR. Taborers will play tunes rehearsed earlier on D pipes, and confident taborers may join Gez (on G or D pipe depending on consensus of players) for Playford items in Gez’s Arbeau Music (D pipe music for Cuckolds All in a Row is here).

1:30 –  2:45pm          Break for meal

2:45 pm Assemble at Black Swan Inn in costume to Process to St Helen’s Church, 5 St. Helen’s Square, York YO1 8QN. 

3:00 – 3:45 pm     Performances of Taborers and Arbeau in costume c. 1450-1515 [2], St Helen’s.

4 – 5:10 pm    AGM of  The Taborers Society, St Helen’s.

5:20 – 7:00 pm    Look at instruments, small groups performing in the concert may ask Andy Richards for rehearsal time, St Helen’s; Break for meal.

7:00 pm Assemble at concert venue St Helen’s Church for pre-concert technical rehearsal (entrances, exits etc).

7:30 – 10 pm  Evening Concert “ Music with Mysteries – a Concert celebrating Pipe and Tabor”  in St Helen’s church,  St Helen’s Square.

Sunday 28th June

Playing for Mystery Plays as they make their way around the old city.  We will work in one or two groups,  Early English tunes on D pipes, accompanying the wagons. Meet in medieval costume [2] 10:45am for 11am by the South Transept of York Minster, the wagon stations are:

  1. College Green.
  2. St Samson’s Square.
  3. Mansion House, St Helen’s Square.
  4. King’s Manor.

Finish around 4 or 5pm.

[1] In the Black Swan, Peaseholme Green, York  YO1 7PR. 

[2] N.B. You must be in appropriate medieval garb c. 1450-1515 to take part in this part of the festival (see picture at the top of this page for examples of any weather gear).