Vocatio:Responsio, meaning Call:Response in Latin, is an early music ensemble founded and directed by the Merseyside-based violinist Samuel Oliver-Sherry, a current third year music student at St Anne’s College. The group seeks to make classical concerts both enjoyable and accessible, and encourage their audiences to engage critically with their repertoire. I had the opportunity to speak to Oliver-Sherry, and the ensemble’s harpsichordist, Alexander McNamee, a third year music student at St Hilda’s College, about their experience in Vocatio:Responsio, and their upcoming fundraising tour to Liverpool.
Both musicians described their time in the ensemble as musically rewarding. For McNamee, Vocatio:Responsio’s most recent concert playing Vivaldi’s The Four Seasons was a particular highlight. He said: “I think we just managed to take what we had been doing, and take it to the next level…Sam’s method of rehearsing kind of transformed the way I saw the piece of music.”
For Oliver-Sherry, a standout project was rehearsing and performing a lesser-known setting of the Stabat Mater by Emanuele d’Astorga. He enjoyed the communal experience of the rehearsals, and how the ensemble really felt like a unit. He described the performance as “a moment that will stick with me for the rest of my life”.
The ensemble’s upcoming tour will mark its tenth project since its formation in 2024, and its first performance outside of Oxford. The tour will consist of two concerts: the first on 23rd March in Oxford, and the second on 25th March in Liverpool. All proceeds from the Liverpool concert will go towards the St Michael’s Church Renovation Fund, supporting much-needed repairs to the church’s interior and electrical systems.
This cause is one close to Oliver-Sherry’s heart, as he attended the high school attached to the church from 2016 to 2023. It was integral to his musical development, as, aged 17, he was given a key to the church to begin learning how to play the organ. Since then he has regularly played in church services and built close connections with the parish. Oliver-Sherry is excited for the opportunity to connect his communities in Oxford and his hometown, and give back to a place so formative in his musical education.
In both concerts, Vocatio:Responsio will be playing Giuseppe Sammartini’s Sinfonia in A Major and Alessandro Scarlatti’s St John’s Passion. Both musicians expressed the richness of the Scarlatti, noting the scope it offers for exploration in rehearsals. McNamee told Cherwell: “It feels like every rehearsal we have, I discover a little bit more about it…amongst our performers we have a real breadth of singers and actors, which really brings the drama alive.” Oliver-Sherry chose the piece because he feels Scarlatti, the Italian Baroque composer, has been overlooked in mainstream music history, but also because of a personal connection: he was involved in the first ever performance of the piece in the UK in 2019.
Alongside the concerts, the ensemble will deliver an educational outreach session at St Michael’s Church of England Academy. Oliver-Sherry believes that the Scarlatti will be engaging for students, as it follows a story that will be familiar to them, the death of Jesus, whilst bringing a new animation to it. He explained: “Scarlatti brings out the tragedy within Jesus’ death…and brings a new perspective on a very traditional story…as very tragic, very human.”
Vocatio:Responsio’s tour is a testament to their wider mission: to deliver high quality performances of early music, and reach new audiences. This project provides an opportunity for music to bring people together, and bridge communities.
