"The Tarandrus is as big as an Ox, with a head not unlike a Stag's, but greater; the horns branched, cloven-hoofed, and the hair as deep as in the Bear... He taketh the colour of all trees, shrubs, plants, flowers, and places in which he lieth"
Pliny the Elder, The Natural History (Book 8)
The mythical Parandrus became renowned in medieval bestiaries for its chameleon-like versatility. With repertoire spanning from the 12th Century to new commissions, Parandrus similarly finds itself at home on many different terrains.
Beginning as a recorder trio (Charlotte Barbour-Condini; Daniel Swani; Sophie Westbrooke), Parandrus launched at the 2017 ORDA International Competition in Amsterdam, where they won first prize for professional and pre-professional ensembles. They were also semi-finalists at the 2018 Royal Overseas League competition. Joined in March 2019 by Sarah Anne Champion (mezzo-soprano) and Grace Shih (recorders), they now perform as a flexible ensemble. Parandrus was awarded first place in the 2019 Nancy Nuttall Early Music Prize, at the Royal Academy of Music.
Performances have included recitals at the London International Early Music Festival, London Festival of Baroque Music (St John's Smith Square), Open Recorder Days Amsterdam and Late Evening Early Modern concert series (Cambridge).
Specialising in exploring the music of the late medieval and renaissance periods, the ensemble is equally invested in expanding the repertoire of new music for old instruments, and has commissioned and premiered works by Geoffrey King, John Paul Mayse and David Nunn.
The musicians of Parandrus are students and graduates of the Royal Academy of Music and the University of Cambridge.