Secret Byrd

“profound, spiritual and beautiful”

The Financial Times 

“Musically it’s glorious... chillingly authentic... ominous, buoyant and uplifting..."

The Guardian

England’s finest composer William Byrd was a covert Catholic facing brutal persecution. Hear his Mass for 5 Voices as he intended: sung for worship in strictest secrecy.

The Gesualdo Six and Fretwork have collaborated with creator Bill Barclay in an historic theatrical concert by candlelight, communing with some of the most ravishing music ever written.

 “effortless perfection”

The Observer

Byrd was a recusant Catholic writing secret masses to be sung by worshippers during the Reformation. These masses were held in people’s homes with smuggled priests and hidden Catholic artifacts. Byrd’s courage in using his art to allow people the freedom of belief inspires us today, when three quarters of the world’s population still live in countries engaging in some form of religious intolerance.

Part art installation, part concert, and part immersive theatre, Secret Byrd celebrates Byrd’s remarkable story. Created by writer, director and composer Bill Barclay, former Director of Music at Shakespeare’s Globe, this immersive concert brings together vocal ensemble The Gesualdo Six and viol consort Fretwork to perform Byrd’s Mass for Five Voices for an intimate audience in St John’s Kirk of Perth.

Commissioned by the Academy of St Martin-in-the-Fields and Washington National Cathedral and presented to rapturous acclaim in cities across the US and UK, Secret Byrd is a concert experience like no other: a thrilling mix of music and drama that recreates the experiences of Catholics in Tudor England and makes a powerful and timely plea for tolerance.

What to Expect - Seating and Tickets

This is a roving event that will see audience members standing and moving around during the immersive performance. There will be chairs available for those that need them.

Our top tier ticket - 'Soup and a Seat' - includes a cup of warm soup (vegetable) served by the cast as part of the live experience, and a seat for the duration of the event if desired.

A General Admission ticket enables the audience member to move around the performance more freely, at times standing and at times sitting. 

If you have access needs and need a designated seat for the duration, please indicate this when booking your ticket. 

The performance will last approximately 80 minutes with no intermission. The 8.30pm performance start a little later than our usual Festival concerts to create the perfect evening atmosphere for the candelight show. 

This promises to be a moving and unique experience. For more details on what to expect as an audience member, visit Concert Theatre Works website which displays a carousel of photos from another performance.