St Laurence, FalmerHeart for the Arts
Falmer Concerts
For over 15 years St. Laurence has organised an annual programme of musical events throughout the year and also participates in the Brighton Fringe
www.facebook.com/falmerconcerts
suemileham2013@gmail.com/01273 508951
St. Laurence Recital Series, 2024-25
Unless stated, refreshment and admission to these recitals are free, with donations going to the outreach and upkeep of the church and duration is 45 minutes
SUNDAY 8TH DECEMBER, 2.30-4.30pm with short interval
SHEPHERDS ARISE!
A selection of beautiful old West Gallery carols from Sussex villages in glorious vocal harmony accompanied by flute, fiddle, bassoon, serpent, clarinet, and concertinas. Between the carols are readings about Christmas in Sussex in the past, and the musicians play lively dance tunes from old Sussex manuscripts. There is also a Sussex Mummers' play. In Sussex, Mummers were called Tipteerers.
This is a lovely celebration of Christmas from earlier centuries, still full of the joy and delight it gave then. The carols and dance tunes are from 18th. and 19th. century handwritten manuscripts mostly held at Barbican House, Lewes, by the Sussex Archaeological Society. In 1982 a selection of the dance tunes was assembled by Dr. Vic Gammon and Anne Loughran and published as 'A Sussex Tune Book' by the English Folk Dance & Song Society. Dr. Gammon also researched the carols and gathered musicians and singers to perform them under the name Hope In The Valley forty-six years ago.
Retiring collection will be divided between church funds and the Martlets Hospice
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ST. LAURENCE CHURCH, FALMER,
Saturday, 16th November 2024,
2.30-3.15pm
Members of the Sussex Musicians’ Club
present a varied programme of classical music
Beatrice Sales, Violin and Andrew Biggs, Piano: Beethoven: Sonata No 7 in Cmin.
Kevin Allen, Piano
J.S. Bach: Prelude and Fugue in D sharp min. (Book 2)
C.P.E. Bach: Fantasia in C major
Sue Mileham, Soprano and Nicola Grunberg, Piano
Folksong arrangements:
Butterworth – The Blacksmith
Copland – Long Time Ago
Britten – Polly Olliver
John Bruzon and Nicola Grunberg, Piano:
Debussy – Petite Suite: En Bateau, Ballet
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THE
COPPER FAMILY 
The Copper Family traces its roots back to 1593 in the Sussex village of Rottingdean. A deep love of the Sussex Downland was always the backdrop to the family music and is still never far away from many songs in the repertoire – songs in celebration of everyday life, work and pride taken in it; treasured and handed down purely through the oral tradition.
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SATURDAY, 21ST SEPTEMBER, 5.30pm: JOHN BRUZON (PIANO):
TCHAIKOVSKY
January: "By the Fireside" March: "Song of the Lark"
May: "May Nights" October: "Autumn Song"
December: Christmas"
STEPHANIE CANT - Seven Fantasies: Waves; Birds; Machines; Calm; Machines Dance; Celebration; Reflections
ALBÉNIZ Mallorca Op. 202; Rumores de la Caleta Op.72 No. 6
LISZT La Chapelle de William Tell S.160
SATURDAY, 19TH OCTOBER, 5.30pm: THE COPPER FAMILY: the internationally acclaimed Sussex folk singing family returns to entertain us with the authentic songs of the Sussex Downs
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SATURDAY, 31ST AUGUST, 5.30pm: JEM BYRNE,Soprano and WILL WALSHE-GREY (organ scholar, St. Mary's Redcliffe), Piano present a programme to include music by Ravel, Brahms, Samuel Barber, Gilbert & Sullivan and organ solos
SATURDAY, 22ND JUNE, 5.30-6.15PM,
THE BOTHY SINGERS
The feisty femmes fatales present
MUSIC FROM THE ‘80s
COME AND SWING ALONG TO ALL YOUR FAVOURITE NUMBERS INCLUDING:
TRUE COLOURS, RUNNING UP THAT HILL, SWEET DREAMS
SATURDAY & SUNDAY, 29TH & 30TH jUNE, 2024, Falmer flower festival
Beautiful arrangements in Church on the theme of Hymns, delicious refreshments in the Parish Hall
Free entry, donations to church funds welcome
Vote for the best arrangement
Refreshments and stalls in the Village Hall
Enquiries: 01273 695164
Friday 3rd May, 7.30pm: Those were
the days - the Falmer Singers directed by Jason Pimblett with
guest soloists. Come dressed in your finery for the event! Prize for the best
Victorian/Edwardian costume!
Sunday 5th May, 5.30-6.15pm: Simon Madge, Baritone, Katy
Friese-Greene, Piano: Mozart to the Musicals. Simon and Katy explore different Mozart opera
characters from lovestruck Papageno to manipulative Don Giovanni , & the
gravitas of Sarastro. Then G&S, Weil, R&H and Lloyd Webber.
Saturday 11th May, 5.30-6.15pm: Duck Soup: the crazy, eclectic folk band
featuring Adam Bushell (marimba, mandolin, triangle, musical saw &
phonofiddle), Dan Quinn (voice & melodeon) and Ian Keary
(bass guitar, 12-string dobro, mandolin & tipple).
Saturday 18th May, 5.30-6.15pm: Belladonna: Sue Mileham
(soprano), Jane Plessner (clarinet), Nicola Grunberg (piano): Love
& Marriage - songs and arias from Mozart to Rodgers and
Hammerstein, Schumann Phantasiestucke for clarinet, Mendelssohn piano solo
Saturday 25th May, 5.30-6.15pm: The Pastores Ensemble: the ensemble of
period instrument directed by Robert Carrington and Paul Neville,
includes works from 16th to 21st century.
Saturday 1st June, 5.30-6.15pm: The Elysium Ensemble: Helen Doble
flute & alto flute, Ken Wells flute and piccolo, Lucy Rackham
flute and piano, Helen Modern, flute - music from the Baroque period,
via Classical to light 20th century compositions.
SATURDAY 23rd MARCH, 5.30-6.15pm
WOMAN ALONE
LUCY MAIR - SOPRANO, ZHANA KEMP - PIANO
Maid on the Shore (Trad)
Rachmaninoff (1873 - 1943): сирень (The Lilacs); COH (Dream)
Chaminade (1857 - 1944): Les Rêves
Duparc (1848 - 1933): Au pays ou se fait la guerre
The Blacksmith (Trad)
The Cruel Mother (Trad)
Dring (1923 - 1977): It was a lover; Through the centuries; Separation; Song of a Nightclub Proprietress
LUCY studied Music and Italian at Royal Holloway College, attended the Conservatorio di Benedetto Marcello, Venice, and graduated with an MMus in Performance and Composition from Newcastle University. Awarded a bursary to Oxenfoord International Summer School, Lucy worked with Janis Kelly, Linda Ormiston and David Cowan, and then with Malcolm Martineau, Karen Cargill and Susan Bullock. She was twice awarded bursaries to study voice at Dartington International Summer School for masterclasses with Joan Rodgers, Emma Kirkby and Jessica Cash.
As a recitalist Lucy performs frequently locally and has performed at the Corbridge and Steyning Festivals and the Newcastle ‘New Music’ Festival. She gave the UK première of Alain Daniélou’s arrangement of Rabindranath Tagore’s Song Poems and the première of They are all gone into the World of Light (2011) for John Tavener at the funeral of his librettist and “spiritual mother”, Mother Thekla.
Extensive oratorio and other sacred work includes Handel’s Messiah, Mendelssohn’s Elijah, Vivaldi’s Gloria and Magnificat, Bach’s Magnificat, Graun’s Der Tod Jesu and Mozart’s Vespers and Mass in C. Operatic roles include Fiodiligi (Così fan Tutte), Donna Elvira (Don Giovanni), Ellen (Peter Grimes), Countess (Le Nozze di Figaro), Sandman (Hansel and Gretel), Pamina (The Magic Flute), Mařenka (The Bartered Bride) and L’Egisto (Bellezza).
Lucy works privately with singers 1:1 and at Roedean School, and as a voice consultant for choirs. In order to bring therapeutic elements into her work she has recently completed a Diploma in Therapeutic Counselling, providing a space for singers to explore and connect with their voices, as free from “should” as possible.
Born in Saint Petersburg, Russia ZHANNA studied the piano from the age of seven, and graduated from The Mussorgsky Musical College, Saint Petersburg with a Diploma of Music (School Teacher and Accompanist). She studied with a student of Schmidt-Shklovskaya, a Soviet pianist and pedagogue, was widely known in the Soviet Union for her work with pianists with professional injuries. After five years of study in St Petersburg State Pedagogical University Zhanna qualified as a Teacher of Music and Music Education Methodologist in 1995, after which she worked in different music and art schools in Russia. She moved to the UK over 12 years ago and continues teaching piano (in both English and Russian). She performs in many Brighton venues as an accompanist, participating in many events and festivals. She is the official accompanist of the Brighton-based choir, Women of Note.
SATURDAY 23RD MARCH FROM 7PM in THE SWAN INN Falmer (north): DJs BARNEY & THE VICAR, All things bright and beautiful?????? Enjoy the classical concert in Church (above) then cross over the footbridge to the Swan and continue your evening's entertainment! Bring your own picnic as the pub kitchen won't be open.
SATURDAY 2ND MARCH, 5.30-6.15pm: THE BRIGHTON GUITAR QUARTET: Olga Amelkina-Vera: Ninochka, Philip Houghton: Opals, Luigi Boccherini: Introduction & Fandango, J.S. Bach: Sheep may safely graze, Juaquin Turina: Miramar Valencia, Leo Brouwer: Tocatta, Modest Mussorgsky: The Old Castle
SATURDAY 23RD MARCH, 5.30-15pm: LUCY MAIR, SOPRANO & ZHANNA KEMP, PIANO, programme to include works by Henri Duparc, Cecile Chaminade, Rachmaninov, Madelinei Dring and traditional English folksongs
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SATURDAY, 4TH DECEMBER, 2.30-4.30pm
SHEPHERDS ARISE! A selection of beautiful old West Gallery carols from Sussex villages accompanied by flute, fiddle, serpent, bassoon, clarinet, concertinas & recorder. Between the carols are readings about Christmas in Sussex in the past, and the musicians play lively dance tunes from old Sussex manuscripts. There is also a Sussex Mummers' play. As always, there will be some old favourites & some new additions.
This is a lovely celebration of Christmas from earlier centuries, still full of the joy and delight it gave then.
Please note: admission and refreshments are free and donations will be split between the Martlets Hospice and church funds.
SATURDAY, 25th NOVEMBER, 5.30pm:
SOUTH DOWNS WIND QUINTET present a lively programme to cheer a November evening, with music
Malcolm Arnold: Wind Quintet, Op.2: Allegro, Presto, Alla Marcia
George Gershwin: Promenade (Walking the Dog)
Scott Joplin: Two Rags: Maple Leaf Rag, The Cascades
Dave Brubeck: Blue Rondo a la Turk
Mike Mower: Two pieces from Jazz Suite for Wind Quintet in the Style of Bebop & Dixieland
Irving Berlin: Alexander’s
Ragtime Band
Karen Rash - Flute, Barbara Ashby - Oboe, Clare Moisan - Clarinet, Zoe Hurlock - French Horn, Hilary Ougham - Bassoon
Saturday, 2nd december, 2.30-4.30pm
SHEPHERDS ARISE! Quite & Band directed by Mary Motley
OLD SUSSEX CAROLS from SUSSEX CHURCH MANUSCRIPT BOOKS & ORAL TRADITION with voices, flute, fiddle, bassoon, serpent, clarinet & concertina
DANCE TUNNES & READINGS from SUSSE SOURCES
SUSSEX MUMMERS PLAY
Monday, 4th December, 7-8pm
THE STRING ENSEMBLE of Brighton & East Sussex Orchestra
directed by Andrew Sherwood: the stars of the youth orchestra play in aid of ENCORE, a charity raising funds to enable young musicians in East Sussex to receive instrumental lessons. Admission free, donations will be split between the charity and St. Laurence church
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Sat. 4th November, 5.30-6.15pm: JIGSAW JAZZ CAFÉ! Come and enjoy jazz classics with delicious, home-made snacks from Marine Cuisine (cash please), fireworks afterwards (weather permitting) – bring sparklers and friends! Admission free, donations will be split between the band and church funds.
Saturday, 21st October, 17.30-18.15
EVELYN HARRISON - SAXOPHONE and ZHANNA KEMP - PIANO
Concerto 2d and 3d movements by Ronald Binge
Melody by Tchaikovsky
Danse by Darius Milhaud
Serenata by Gaetano Braca
Chante Corse by Tomasi
Valse Romantique Seymour Burns
“My man’s gone now”, Promenade by Gershwin and “Bess, you is my woman now” by Gershwin- Heifetz
Saturday, 9th September, 5.30-6.15p,: Will Walshe-Grey (organ scholar, St. Mary's Redcliffe, Bristol), Organ, to include Cecilia McDowall, ) Antiphon Sequence and Graig Phillips, The Archangel Suite.
Friday, 15th September, 7.30pm
MAGIC OF THE MUSICALS
The Sound of Music, Sunset Boulevard, South Pacific, Phantom of the Opera…….
Narrated by Dame Evangeline Rackett!
Musical Director – Jason Pimblett
with the Falmer Singers and Guest Soloists
Saturday, 21st October, 5.30-6.15pm: Evelyn Harrison - Saxophone and Zhanna Kemp - Piano
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Saturday, 1st July, 5.30-6.15pm
DUCK SOUP: English folk music ,
with a dash of the music-hall, a dollop of groove and a soupcon of surreality. Duck Soup is a happy
accident.
Way back in 2005, Dan Quinn (Gas Mark 5, Flowers & Frolics) started thinking about recording a solo album, and thought it would be fun to get Ian Kearey (Shirley Collins, Oysterband) and Adam Bushell (Stocai, Tacet Ensemble) to join him on a couple of numbers. He was right! So much so that we recorded the whole album as a trio, and haven't stopped since.
Our sound is based around Dan's melodeon and vocals, which keep us firmly rooted in English tradition even when we're playing tunes from Canada, Barbados or beyond
Whatever instrument Ian plays, he provides solid groove. He's a man that can find the rock'n'roll heart of any traditional ballad, and vice versa.
Adam’s array of instruments might not immediately make you think of folk music, but the way he plays them certainly will – from polka-ing with a marimba to ballad-ing with a phonofiddle.
It all ends up as a glorious cross between an English tune session in your favourite pub and a collision in an instrument shop.
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SATURDAY, 24th JUNE, 5.30pm
THE PASTORES ENSEMBLE: A BANQUET OF MUSICAL DELIGHTS, music for viols, mandolins, guitar and voice by Johnson, Tye, Marais, Playford and Robert Carrington and others
BRIGHTON FRINGE 2023
Saturday, MAY 13th, 5.30pm - THE COPPER FAMILY
The Copper Family traces its roots back to 1593 in the Sussex village of Rottingdean where an entry in the first extant Parish register records a marriage. The Family singing tradition can be traced back at least to the 18th Century. The Coppers were always renowned as singers in the village and the Copper menfolk, largely comprising farm labourers, carters, ploughmen and shepherds were always in demand at sing-songs, pubs, harvest suppers and seasonal celebratory events around the farms and villages.
Sunday, May 21st, 6pm – THE AMITY SINGERS (Please note the change of time)
The Amity Singers (women’s voices) perform 6-10 concerts a year in the local community and will entertain us with an eclectic mix of styles, ranging from Purcell to The Evening Prayer from Humperdink's Hansel and Gretel to Chicago by Ebb and Kander.
Saturday, May 27th, 5.30pm – BELLADONNA: Sue Mileham, Soprano, Jane Plessner, Clarinet, Nicola Grunberg, Piano presents Love is in the Air, a programme on the eternal theme taking us through varying styles from Thomas Arne to Cole Porter, including such gems as Finzi’s Romance for Clarinet and Piano, Mendelssohn’s piano solo, On Wings of Song, and Rusalka’s Song to the Moon by Dvorak.
FRINGE AT FALMER IS A GRATEFUL RECIPIENT OF A
BRIGHTON LIONS' BURSARY
FIVEWAYS AT FALMER
Weekends 6th-28th May
Saturdays, 10.30-16.30
Sundays, 11.30-16.00
St. Laurence Church is pleased to announce that members of the Fiveways Artists' Group will be exhibiting at St. Laurence as part of their Open Houses scheme. The following artists will be exhibiting:
Sue Barnes (Falmer artist): sacred art
Sam Beck: recent contemporary paintings inspired by the cityscape and landscape
Laura Darling: still life and landscape paintings in oil
Rex Matthews: acrylic paintings inspired by Gaudi's Sagrada Famillia in Barcelona
Eva Wibblerley: seascapes and landscapes in a range of painterly media
Teresa Winchester: printmaking and storytelling using animal and floral imagery
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SATURDAY, 15TH APRIL, 5.30pm
ELLIE BLACKSHAW – VIOLIN
J.S.Bach: G minor solo sonata, BWV 1001
Bela Bartok: Solo Sonata in G minor, Sz.117: Melodia, Presto
Peter Copley: The Violinist is hanging on the wall…
SATURDAY, 25TH MARCH, 5.30pm
BRIGHTON GUITAR QUARTET:
Simon Hopkins, James Hartt, Olivier Thereaux , Ruairi Gann
(Director: Gregg Isaacson)
Luigi Boccherini, Roland Dyens,
Simon Hopkins, Turlough O'Carolan,
Stepan Rak, Maurice Ravel, Andrew York
SATURDAY, 4TH FEBRUARY, 4.30-5.40pm
SOUTH DOWN WINDS QUINTET
Arrieu, Fauré, Poulenc, Gounod, Debussy and Bizet
(this slightly longer concert includes a short interval)
SATURDAY, 11TH FEBRUARY, 5.30-6.15pm
LEWIS KINGSLEY-PEART – PIANO
Paderewski: Minuet in G, Op. 14 No. 1, Nocturne in B-flat major, Op. 16 No. 4
Dohnányi: Aria, Op. 23 No. 1, Rhapsody in C, Op.11 No. 3
Billy Mayerl, Song of the Fir-Tree, Railroad Rhythm, Marigold
Grünfeld, Soirée de Vienne, Op. 56
SEE WHAT WE HOSTED IN 2021-22 SEASON
SHEPHERDS ARISE! Sunday, 11th December, 2.30-4.30pm, a selection of beautiful old West Gallery carols from Sussex villages accompanied by flute, fiddle, serpent, bassoon, clarinet, concertinas & recorder. Between the carols are readings about Christmas in Sussex in the past, and the musicians play lively dance tunes from old Sussex manuscripts and there is also a mummers'play. Admission and refreshments free, donations will be split between the church and the Martlets Hospice
Saturday, 10th September, 5.30-6.15pm
Lewis Kingsley-Peart, Piano
Beethoven, Sonata quasi una fantasia, (Moonlight), Schubert, Fantasie in C Major (Wanderer), Chopin, Ballade No.1, Op.23
Lewis made his debut at St. John's, Smith Square in March 2013 in a programme of music celebrating the 75th birthday of renowned American composer, Stephen Montagu. In the summer of 2021 he had the privilege of working with the British concert pianist and composer, Stephen Hough, on his third piano sonata, "Trinitas" for the Trinity Laban New Lights Festival of Contemporary Music. Lewis looks forward to future recital engagements, and is excited to make his debut at St. Martin-in-the-Fields in September, as well as his concerto debut in 2023.
Saturday, 8th October, 6.30-7.15pm
Simon Madge, Baritone and Katy Friese-Greene, Piano
A programme of English Song, to include works by George Butterworth and Vaughan Williams' "Songs of Travel"
Saturday 18th June, 5.30-6.15pm
THE PASTORES ENSEMBLE with special guests
Roberto Prieto-Labrador Countertenor
Zhou Han (Rose) Erhu
present: A VARIETY OF MUSIC TO DELIGHT
Tenorlieder @ 4 Ludwig Senfl (1486-1542?)
Wolcum de Mai I
Rosina, wo was dein Gestalt
Wolcum de Mai II
Madrigals @ 3 Michael East (1580–1648 ): How Merrily we Live Follow Me
Villancicos Cancionero de Palacio— Songs from the Library of the Palacio Real in Madrid:
Tres Morillas –Anon Más vale trocar –Juan del Encina (1468-1530)
Ay Linda Amiga - Anon Mano a mano los dos amores –Anon
Solo Lute: Night Song—Robert Carrington (fl. 2022)
Erhu & Viols: Wild Swans Fairest Isle –Henry Purcell (1659-1695)
Trio: Aire– Paul Neville (b. 1969)
Suite from the Tempest- Matthew Locke (1621 – 1677)
The First Music– Galliard– Gavot– Lilk
All concerts 5.30-6.15pm
SUNDAY, MAY 8TH: UNFENCED UNWRAPPED, Sally Wilson, SAm Brennan, Liz Woodhouse, Jane Peckham and Barney Guy - a musical confectionery: female voices, sophisticated piano, string bass and a zippy drummer. Unfenced have one aim only: to lift your hearts, bring a smile to your faces and get your toes tapping!
SATURDAY, MAY 14TH: DUCK SOUP: Dan Quinn - voice, melodeon, Ian Kearey - bass guitar, 12-string dobro, manndolin, tipple, and Adam Bushell - marimba, mandolin, triangle, saw and phonofiddle: English folk music, with a dash of the music-hall, a dollop of groove and a soupcon of surreality. It all ends up as a glorious cross between an English tune session in your favourite pub and a collision in an instrument shop. Amongst the favourites that we'll probably play are Molly Bawn, Hornpipe, The Indian Intermezzo, Marche de 64ieme Batallion, Lena.
SATURDAY, MAY 21ST: SUSSEX FLUTES: Sue Gregg, Victoria Hancox, Anne Hodgson and Nicole Leclerc are delighted to be returning to St. Laurence, the very first venue in which they performed as a group 12 years ago! With a reputation for high quality chamber music for different combinations of flutes ranging from Piccolo to Bass Flute they encompass a wide range of musical styles and genres.
Mozart - Flute quartet in D major Herman Beeftink - "Birds" for Flute Trio Telemann - Flute Quartet in D minor Kern - "Smoke gets in your eyes" Trad. - "Shepherd's Hey"
Find them on Facebook to keep up to date with their latest news
SATURDAY, MAY 28TH: DOUBLE DUOS: Alan Larkin - clarinet and alto sax, Michael Withers- clarinet and tenor sax, Trevor Denyer - Horn, Susan Denyer - bass: a unique ensemble, playing show music from the 1920s to 1950s and beyond. Programme will include The Frim Fram Sauce, New York, New York, Sunrise, Sunset, The Poirot Theme, Stranger on the Shore
SATURDAY, JUNE 4TH: REFLECTIONS OF LOVE: DARIA ROBERTSON, Soprano and ZHANNA KEMP-DASHKOVSKAYA, Piano present a programme of well-known romantic arias including works Mozart, Puccini, Poulenc, Stravinsky and lesser-known gems by Offenbach, Menotti and Clara Schumann.
I
Saturday April 8th, 5.30pm
Beatrice Sales, Viola and Kevin Allen, Piano
Beethoven - Seven variations on Bei Mannern from Mozart's Die Zauberflote
Robert Schumann - Marchenbilder, Op.113
D. Shostakovich - Sonata for Viola and Piano, Op. 147
Beethoven - Country Dances