Amidst the warm glow of candlelight, join us at Launde Abbey for an afternoon of Music and Readings to prepare for the season. We will be immersed in the beauty of scripture and song, and you can stay afterwards for mulled wine and mince pies.

We are delighted to be welcoming the Aylesbury Consort of Voices, an auditioned acappella choir directed by Edwin Pitt Mansfield, to lead us in our music. The choir performs to support local churches and charities across Buckinghamshire, Oxfordshire, and Hertfordshire, with some members being professional musicians.

Advent marks the beginning of the Christian year. It is a period of longing, hope and expectation. As we approach the darkest time of the year the Christian community looks forward to the dawning of a new light, to a time when God’s promises to his people, down through history, are fulfilled. The readings from the Hebrew Scriptures articulate the hopes of the community of faith and the nature of God’s love.

Advent is characterised by the experience of waiting and watching and by the contrasting themes of light and darkness, judgement and mercy, life and death. These things remind us that Advent is not merely a countdown to Christmas and the birth of a baby in a stable in Bethlehem. It is a season to contemplate the mystery of the one who grew up to be crucified, to rise from the dead and to come in glory to judge the living and the dead.

A Launde Abbey Fundraising Event.

Tickets £30. Call 01572 717254 or email [email protected].

An afternoon of Shakespeare and contemporary work, written by Paul Tafaro, complemented by inspired guitar pieces composed by Mark Bickerstaff.

Iago Othello by William Shakespeare

Romeo Romeo & Juliet by William Shakespeare

Crust by Paul Tafaro

Benedick Much Ado About Nothing by William Shakespeare

And more!

Mark Bickerstaff
A musician and instrument restorer, Mark has performed and recorded with a number of bands including Life of Reilly, The Signals, East-West and the Bicycle Thieves. He is currently working with Deep Velvet playing Hurdy Gurdy and bass, and on jazz guitar with Edie’s Echo.
When not playing music, Mark can be found in his former washhouse garden workshop, where he fabricates strange contraptions, paints and draws. As a sculptor Mark specialises in grandfather clock making, weathering his hand-etched clock faces and using old barn doors to construct the cases. Mark is currently replicating a 2000-year-old carnyx in hand-beaten copper and turned brass.
 
Paul Tafaro
An actor and playwright. Paul came through the National Youth Theatre and has worked with companies such as Paines Plough, Theatre Royal Stratford East and Lyric Hammersmith. Paul also has experience as a facilitator with youngsters in mainstream, SEN schools and abroad.
Paul’s film, which he wrote, is being shot next year. It is called Cyclical. It looks at a Headteacher forced to confront the dark truth underneath his picturesque family life when the key to his bicycle lock goes missing.

A little preview of Paul’s work…

This event offers you the chance to experience an hour-long live performance in the company of some of the country’s leading artists, followed by a gorgeous Launde cream tea.

A Launde Abbey Fundraising Event.

Tickets £21 (or £16 for concert only). Call 01572 717254 or email [email protected].

This event is now fully booked. Please see our programme for alternative upcoming dates!

Join us for the perfect Sunday afternoon out… 

We look forward to continuing our Launde Abbey Concert Series throughout 2024, bringing you intimate classical performances from the finest musicians. Join us for an hour of enchanting classical music in our medieval chapel followed by the famous Launde Abbey Cream Tea.

Alan Thomas (Guitar)

Whether performing the complete lute works of J.S. Bach, sharing the stage with artists as diverse as Alfie Boe and Aphex Twin, or composing genre-bending music with live computer interaction, Alan Thomas has been devoted to exploring the guitar’s many personalities and sonic possibilities. Alan’s compositions focus on the guitar in solo, chamber and concerto settings, drawing freely on a broad range of styles and techniques to create music that is both rigorously constructed and accessible and leading Classical Guitar magazine to praise his work as “the best of what’s being written for the contemporary guitar”.

Lisa Nelsen (Flute)

Lisa Nelsen is internationally recognised for her versatility as a flute soloist, chamber and orchestral musician, educator and mentor in performance practices. She is a member of The Harborough Collective, a chamber ensemble led by internationally acclaimed violinist David Le Page, and is a founding member of Enigma14 with cellist Julian Metzger and pianist Paul Turner. Lisa gives concerts and masterclasses in venues across the UK, Canada, the United States, and Hong Kong.  In 2019, Lisa was asked to become Chair for the Council of the British Flute Society.  She is a Professor at the Junior Department of the Guildhall School of Music in London, teaching flute and coaching wind chamber groups and the orchestral winds and has been the Specialist Flute Tutor at Wells Cathedral School for more than 15 years. 

Launde Classical Concerts offer the chance to hear an hour-long live concert in the company of some of the country’s leading performers, followed by a gorgeous Launde cream tea.

A Launde Abbey Fundraising Event.

Tickets £21 (or £16 for concert only). Call 01572 717254 or email [email protected].

This concert is now fully booked. Please see our programme for alternative dates.

We look forward to continuing our Launde Abbey Concert Series throughout 2024, bringing you intimate classical performances from the finest musicians. Join us for an hour of enchanting classical music in our medieval chapel followed by the famous Launde Abbey Cream Tea.

Sarah Small (Viola da Gamba)

Sarah Small is a viola da gamba player and founder of the ensemble, Hex. She holds a Masters with Distinction from the Royal College of Music, where she studied with Reiko Ichise. Sarah has been fortunate to perform and record with various ensembles across the UK and Europe including multi-award-winning ensemble Fretwork, Charivari Agréable, and the Gesualdo Six. As well as making appearances on radio stations such as BBC Radio 3 and Radio France, Sarah has performed in world-class venues such as The Globe Theatre, St Mark’s Basilica, and Buckingham Palace.

Johan Löfving (Theorbo)

Since being a prize winner in the prestigious London International Guitar Competition, Swedish Johan Löfving has established himself as one of the most exciting musicians of a new generation. As a guitarist and theorbo player, his performances have taken him to some of the world’s finest concert halls such as Wigmore Hall, Kings Place, The Sage Gateshead, Wiener Saal Salzburg and Konzertsaal der Wiener Sängerknaben in Vienna. Additionally, he has appeared in major festivals including Lammermuir, King’s Lynn, Stratford-on-Avon, Brighton Early Music Festival, Bath Guitar Festival, Saxå Chamber Music Festival, Styriarte Festival Graz and Carinthischer Sommer in Villach, Austria. 

Launde Classical Concerts offer the chance to hear an hour-long live concert in the company of some of the country’s leading performers, followed by a gorgeous Launde cream tea.

A Launde Abbey Fundraising Event.

Tickets £21 (or £16 for concert only). Call 01572 717254 or email [email protected].

Join us for the perfect Sunday afternoon out…

Launde Classical Concerts offer the chance to hear an hour-long live concert in the company of some of the country’s leading performers, followed by a gorgeous Launde cream tea.

The Abeto Guitar Duo

The Abeto Guitar Duo met in Cardiff, Wales where they studied as a duo for their masters at the Royal Welsh College of Music and Drama. Since the duo’s conception, they have enjoyed performing across England and Wales, including Cardiff Guitar Festival and as artists in residence at the Dillington Guitar Festival. They were finalists in the Dora Stouzker Hall concerto competition in 2022. The duo have commissioned works by Chris Stell which they recorded in the summer of 2023 and they will be recording their debut album with Deux-Elles records in the summer of 2024.

Georgina is passionate about teaching and making musical opportunities possible for all. She works for Live Music Now, an organisation which provides music performances and workshops in communities where live music is less readily available. Other accomplishments include winning the Dorris Newton Prize in 2018. 

Matthew is also a keen teacher and has performed in venues such as the Wigmore Hall, King’s Place and Royal Festival Hall, as well as multiple locations in Belgium, Italy, Spain, and Germany. Alongside his teaching and performing, Matthew is a keen arranger and owns Rosette Editions, a publishing company specialising in guitar music.

Tickets £21 (or £16 for concert only). Call 01572 717254 or email [email protected].

Join us for the perfect Sunday afternoon out… 

‘Jubilate’

Songs of joy and love

Tesserae is a SSAA quartet based in the East Midlands. Having sung together for several years as part of the octet Mosaic, we decided to try out some repertoire for upper voices, and we liked what we found. We enjoy performing a wide range of music, from the sacred to the secular, the age-old to the contemporary, exploring the contrasts and connections between pieces. The name of the group is a nod to our origins in Mosaic: Tesserae are the individual tiles that make up a mosaic image. 

We are all active in choirs across the East Midlands. As Tesserae, we have sung in venues including Derby Cathedral, Apethorpe Palace, and St Mary Magdalene, Newark. We are excited to be returning to Launde Abbey this September with our ‘Jubilate’ programme.

Tesserae are:

Clare Robertson-Hughes

Liz Blades

Caroline Summers

Kate Hill

Launde Classical Concerts offer the chance to hear an hour-long live concert in the company of some of the country’s leading performers, followed by a gorgeous Launde cream tea.

A Launde Abbey Fundraising Event.

Tickets £21 (or £16 for concert only). Call 01572 717254 or email [email protected].

Join us for the perfect Sunday afternoon out… 

We look forward to continuing our Launde Abbey Concert Series throughout 2024, bringing you intimate classical performances from the finest musicians. Join us for an hour of enchanting classical music in our medieval chapel followed by the famous Launde Abbey Cream Tea.

Lisa Nelsen (Flute)

Lisa Nelsen is internationally recognised for her versatility as a flute soloist, chamber and orchestral musician, educator and mentor in performance practices. She is a member of The Harborough Collective, a chamber ensemble led by internationally acclaimed violinist David Le Page, and is a founding member of Enigma14 with cellist Julian Metzger and pianist Paul Turner. Lisa gives concerts and masterclasses in venues across the UK, Canada, the United States, and Hong Kong.  In 2019, Lisa was asked to become Chair for the Council of the British Flute Society.  She is a Professor at the Junior Department of the Guildhall School of Music in London, teaching flute and coaching wind chamber groups and the orchestral winds and has been the Specialist Flute Tutor at Wells Cathedral School for more than 15 years. 

Julian Metzger

German-born cellist Julian Metzger has lived in England since 1990; he studies at Wells Cathedral School, continuing his studies at the Guildhall School of Music and Drama, under Stefan Popov, Paul Roberts and David Dolan. Apart from his regular performances in the UK, Julian has given concerts and recitals in Spain, France, Germany, Italy and Hong Kong, where he also recorded for Radio and TV Hong Kong. He has appeared as a soloist and chamber musician at various Festivals such as the Buckingham, The Oundle, the Beaminster and the International Casals Festival in El Vendrell, Spain.

Launde Classical Concerts offer the chance to hear an hour-long live concert in the company of some of the country’s leading performers, followed by a gorgeous Launde cream tea.

A Launde Abbey Fundraising Event.

Tickets £21 (or £16 for concert only). Call 01572 717254 or email [email protected].

Join us for the perfect Sunday afternoon out… 

We look forward to continuing our Launde Abbey Concert Series throughout 2024, bringing you intimate classical performances from the finest musicians. Join us for an hour of enchanting classical music in our medieval chapel followed by the famous Launde Abbey Cream Tea.

Charlotte Rowan (Violin)

Born in Scotland, Charlotte Rowan was invited at age 16 to study at the Peabody Conservatory in Baltimore, USA. Selected as concertmistress of the Conservatory Orchestra in her first year, she subsequently performed under the conductor and pianist Leon Fleischer and featured on the Washington Performing Arts Series with Rob Kapilow. Charlotte performs extensively as a recitalist in the UK and regularly performs at prestigious venues, chamber music societies and festivals. With her duo partner, pianist Charlotte Stevenson, she has given concert tours around Northern and Central Scotland, Yorkshire, Wales, Southern England, the Midlands, Essex, Kent and East Anglia. They have performed in many of the country’s finest cathedrals including Ely, Chichester, Winchester, Ripon, Chelmsford, Lincoln and Manchester and have given acclaimed appearances at festivals including Edinburgh, Wetherby, Buckingham, East Devon, Harwich, Horsham and Crail.

Charlotte plays a Fridolin Rusch violin (2005) of Memmingen, Bavaria.

Charlotte Stevenson (Piano)

Charlotte Stevenson enjoys a varied career as a pianist, singer and harpist. She gained her LRAM Diploma studying piano with Mary Moore and Janette Lamb. In recent years, Charlotte has been the regular accompanist for Charlotte Rowan, performing at chamber music societies, concert series and festivals throughout the UK. Charlotte has the rare distinction of her teacher – Janette Lamb – having been taught by a pupil of Clara Schumann.

Launde Classical Concerts offer the chance to hear an hour-long live concert in the company of some of the country’s leading performers, followed by a gorgeous Launde cream tea.

A Launde Abbey Fundraising Event.

Tickets £21 (or £16 for concert only). Call 01572 717254 or email [email protected].

This event is now fully booked. Thank you so much for your interest. We have future dates for our concerts coming soon… Stay tuned!

Eleanor Hodgkinson (Piano) and Nick Stringfellow (piano)

More information about this concert will be available shortly.  Please check back regularly for further details.

Launde Classical Concerts offer the chance to hear an hour-long live concert in the company of some of the country’s leading performers, followed by a gorgeous Launde cream tea.

A Launde Abbey Fundraising Event.

Tickets £21 (or £16 for concert only). Call 01572 717254 or email [email protected].

KASSIA TRIO – TWO SAXAPHONES & PIANO

The Kassia Trio is made up of two saxophones (Chloe Percy-Smith and Emma Jones) and piano (Amy Bladon). Performing new music and arrangements of repertoire from the past, this versatile ensemble combines graduates of the Royal Birmingham Conservatoire, Guildhall School of Music and Drama and the Royal Conservatoire of The Hague.

The Trio came to Launde early last year and gave a very successful and enjoyable concert.

Programme:

• Vivaldi – Concerto for oboe, violin and strings RV 548, ed. D. Camwell  (arranged for two soprano saxophones and piano)
• Bruch – Rumänische Melodie Op. 83, No. 5
• Poulenc -Trio for Oboe, Bassoon and Piano (arranged for soprano saxophone, tenor saxophone and piano)
• Katherine Murdoch – Trio Bel Canto
• Doppler – Andante and Rondo
• Quayle – Sundance
• Irving Berlin, arr. J. Vinson – Puttin’ On The Ritz

Launde Classical Concerts offer the chance to hear an hour-long live concert in the company of some of the country’s leading performers, followed by a gorgeous Launde cream tea.

A Launde Abbey Fundraising Event.

Tickets £21 (or £16 for concert only). Call 01572 717254 or email [email protected].