Music

Some Saturday evenings you will find Brian Stocker, pacing the vestibule and looking anxiously at his watch. What is the cause of his anxiety? Is he afraid that some calamity is going to befall the Church building before the following morning? No! it's concert night for Music at St. Peter's and Brian is also Chairman of the Society.

It's ten past seven and the size of the audience is small - is it going to be a poor turnout? There is soon a buzz of excitement as a stream of people comes in either clutching their tickets or asking to buy them at the door. Before we know it, it's 7.30 and the Church is almost full. Time to turn down the lights, sit back and be entertained by yet another brilliant group of musicians.

Music at St. Peter's is about to enter its tenth season and has proved very popular with our customers. A good number of our audience live in the City Centre but then some travel a fair journey from the Ashford area or the surrounding coastal towns.

The last season was our most successful yet with a varied programme including some firm favourites and also groups new to us such as the St Clements Wind Ensemble, with their programme of beautiful wind chamber music which is often overlooked in chamber repertoires, and the David Rees Williams Trio with their reinterpretations of classics by the great composers. We have the opportunity to welcome younger performers in our programme and were delighted with the performance given by Sarah Williamson (Clarinet) and Richard Evans (Piano) with an enjoyable programme including works by Schumann, Poulenc, Horovitz and Brahms. Many in the audience also commented on Sarah's stunning red dress!

We have been thrilled by our entertainers over the years and we welcome the opportunity to feature local artists who have made a name for themselves internationally. I specially remember Sarah Field and her accompanist Simon Lepper. I knew them both when they were at school and involved with Kent Music School. Natali Shaw's grandparents were living in Elham and they brought most of the village with them! We have some artists who return every season and tell us we are their favourite venue and audience.

We end our season in May featuring the top prizewinners from the Kent Competitive Festival, thus giving the opportunity for them to perform in a chamber music setting and hopefully encourage them in their future musical careers.

Other local artists featured are in the Sacconi Quartet who will be returning during the coming season, also the Sullivan Quartet and Ben Frith (Piano) with Richard Jenkinson (Cello). Full details of 2008/9 season are given on our web site at www.musicatstpeters.org.uk along with information about obtaining tickets. Alternatively, visit the Links section on the Church web site and you will find Music at St Peter's listed.

New for this season is the offer of free admission to those under 16. We understand that a full concert may be too long for younger members of the audience but we hope this might encourage you to bring them along for part of a concert, thus introducing them to live chamber music.

The concerts usually lasts until about 9.30 (about 45 minutes each half) so if you are not too sure about classical music, why not come along and give it a try. The concerts all include a variety of styles of music and no items are too long.

Jenny Devenish
September 2008