We hope you are all keeping well and safe. As we enter our fourth month of necessary social-distancing due to the Covid-19 pandemic crisis, we remain committed to keeping our connection with you as strong as possible despite the mandated safe distance we must maintain. We hope you have been able to take in and enjoy our educational video podcasts and short concert excerpts as a relief from new stresses or as touchstones to a cherished cultural experience. We thank you for your appreciative and encouraging messages and other means of support to us - you inspire us to keep going!

While prepping for our "Lure of London" concerts, we have learned about a trendy venue for public concerts in Baroque London known as "Hickford's Room." Not much is known about the venue's founder—John Hickford—except that he was a dancing-master. The hall was initially known as the Great Dancing Room and was located on James Street in Haymarket. As it was one of only two rooms in London's West End large enough for concerts, musicians approached Hickford to use the space, and he soon developed a reputation as a concert organizer. At that point, it became known as Mr.