Due for release in July 2026 on the VdB label, Old Ground is a meditation on time, memory, and resonance, bringing together enchanting 17th-century music for the lyra viol with new Australian works inspired by the instrument’s rich history and expressive possibilities.
PRE-ORDERS HERE
Old Ground explores the intimate world of the lyra viol through music drawn from historic sources including the Manchester Gamba Book and the Mansell Manuscript. The repertoire ranges from the elegant and sophisticated to the delightfully eccentric, featuring works by Richard Sumarte, William Corkine, Joseph Sherlie, Tobias Hume, Simon Ives, and other remarkable voices of seventeenth-century England.
Alongside these centuries-old pieces are three contemporary works that continue the lyra viol’s tradition of invention and experimentation. Brooke Green’s new composition The Spirit of Daphne responds directly to Richard Sumarte’s Daphne, weaving echoes of the original into a fresh musical landscape. Alice Chance’s Old Ground, for viola da gamba and harpsichord, takes its title from the Baroque ground bass while contemplating something far older: meteorites that have travelled through space for millions of years before coming to rest on Earth.
Warm, contemplative and resonant, Old Ground invites listeners into a world where antique melodies and contemporary imaginations meet, celebrating the viola da gamba’s uniquely mellow voice and its enduring capacity to inspire.
Melbourne-based viola da gamba player Laura Vaughan is one of Australia’s most distinctive and engaging early music musicians. Valued for the expressive depth of her playing and her natural warmth on stage, she has become a much-loved presence in the country’s early music community.
Laura studied with Miriam Morris at the University of Melbourne before continuing her training at the Royal Conservatory in The Hague with Wieland Kuijken and Philippe Pierlot. Since then, she has built a richly varied performing career across Australasia, performing on viola da gamba, violone, lirone and baryton in repertoire that stretches from the Renaissance to the present day.
While deeply grounded in historical performance practice, particularly music of the 16th to mid-18th centuries, Laura is equally passionate about expanding the repertoire for these extraordinary instruments. She works closely with contemporary composers, drawn to the viola da gamba family’s uniquely intimate and expressive sound.
A regular guest on ABC Classic FM, Laura appears frequently as both soloist and chamber musician, and her recordings — including solo albums released on the Move and Paladino labels — have received wide acclaim. She performs regularly with many of Australia’s leading ensembles, including the Orchestra of the Antipodes, the Australian Chamber Orchestra, Van Diemen’s Band, Genesis Baroque, the Australian Brandenburg Orchestra, Adelaide Baroque, and Consortium.
Laura is also a founding member of the ARIA Award–nominated trio Latitude 37 and the Gryphon Baryton Trio. Alongside her work in early music, she has appeared with the Tasmanian, Melbourne and Adelaide Symphony Orchestras, as well as the Auckland Philharmonia.
Off stage, Laura teaches at the Melbourne Conservatorium of Music, where she enjoys encouraging and mentoring the next generation of early music performers. In 2026 she was appointed Artistic Director of the Ballarat Organs & Fine Music Festival.
Away from rehearsals and concerts, she loves spending time with her two children, her Tibetan Spaniels Poppea and Heloise, and, naturally, a very good Melbourne coffee.