In 1976 two amateur musicians met in Deià, Stephanie Shepard and Patrick Meadows. Neither had seriously touched an instrument for fifteen years, but they began again, playing recorder duets, trios and quartets with other amateurs. With Llullist Anthony Bonner they became familiar with the extensive repertoire for flute, recorder, and basso continuo. In 1978 they brought a harpsichord from England, along with numerous second-hand scores: Baroque trio sonatas, piano trios and quartets, sonatas for flute and piano, plus a method book for studying the cello, an instrument which, like the flute, he had studied briefly at Florida State University where students were required to study an instrument from each of the sections of the orchestra, plus piano basics and vocal performance - madrigals, choir, accompaniment.
That same summer, they moved to the house in the valley below Deià where they still live, and they installed the harpsichord, reading through the Haendel sonatas, many works by Telemann, Quantz, Bach, Loeillet, and trio sonatas with visitors.

Narcis Bonet, then musical director of l’Ecole Normale de Musique in Paris and who spent summers in nearby Lluch-Alcari, knocked on their door one afternoon in August, having heard that there was a harpsichord and some musicians getting together. For the annual celebration of the Feast of Carmen he wanted to organize a concert in the tiny chapel. So with Canadian violinist Vera Blum and an English oboist and a cellist, flutes and recorders, and Narcis on the keyboard they played a program in the chapel of Lluch-Alcari and then in the church in Deià.

Christophe Coin

The next year they formed various combinations under the name Tafelmusik with visiting and resident musicians and played five or six concerts in the Deià church, passing the collection plate for the musicians. By now Patrick was playing the harpsichord, cello, or flute as needed, and on a couple of occasions the double bass. He formed and directed a choir which practiced on Thursdays during most of the year, and got together a chamber orchestra made up of members of the Palma Orchestra and visitors to the island - a harpsichordist and violinist from Hannover, a soprano from the Schola Cantorum a recorder and baroque flute soloist from Berlin, a cellist from the Liceu opera orchestra of Barcelona. Stephanie was also singing now, and performed not only as one of the recorder soloists in the Brandenburg 4 and the Telemann Concerto for flute and recorder, but also sang contralto in the choir for performances of Pergolesi and in quartets of Spanish music.
In 1985, with the help of Antoni Colomar and Josefina Sintes, Association Amics de la Música Clàssica (Friends of Music), also known as Alma Concerts (Alma = the soundpost of the violin, and Alma = the soul), was formed, with one of the principal aims to give young musicians an opportunity to play before an international audience.

Patrick Meadows