Eaton Concert Series

19/01/2025

We had a very successful concert at Eaton last Sunday with over 80 people in attendance - wouldn’t it be wonderful if we could achieve such numbers on a regular basis?!

It’s now only 3 weeks until our next concert on Sunday 9th February followed by the next one in quick succession on 9th March. We very much look forward to welcoming pianist Hannah Watson to perform for us at Eaton for the first time. Hannah is currently living in Norwich and has already made her mark locally by playing concertos with the Mozart Orchestra and will also be performing at the Assembly House in Norwich next month.

From 2017-2021, Hannah worked as Music Director at the Anglican Cathedral in Nairobi, leading a team of around 200 musicians over 8 adult and children’s choirs, as well as a major organ restoration project. She continued to give solo, song and chamber recitals and perform as a concerto soloist with orchestras including the Nairobi Orchestra and Kenyan National Youth Orchestra. She also taught and mentored several talented teenagers, two of whom are now studying at US conservatoires. She maintains an ongoing link with music in Kenya and will be returning in March to perform Beethoven’s 4th piano concerto with the Nairobi Orchestra and for the opening of a new music education centre with Baraka Opera Kenya. Alongside her performing work, Hannah is currently music director for St Anselm’s Church in Kennington and Norwich-based chamber choir Sine Nomine.

For this programme, Hannah will be performing an all-French recital of piano and keyboard music from Couperin to Messiaen, via Elizabeth Jacquet de la Guerre, Debussy, Ravel and Mel Bonis.

10/01/2025

Just a reminder about our first concert of 2025 this Sunday. This is a fundraising concert in aid of the Eaton Concert Series and will definitely have a feel-good factor so do come along and support it if you can.

The first half of this concert will be given by Serendipity, an all-female vocal chamber ensemble performing arrangements of songs from across the centuries - from early music through to modern day classics. Serendipity delight audiences across the region and give several concerts a year under the direction of Andrew Mildinhall who also accompanies the group.

The second half will be devoted to instrumental arrangements of some catchy tunes performed by local folk musicians, led by Paul Keeler who was instrumental in founding the Norwich Folk Ensemble. This year has seen the group perform at the Bungay Folk Festival, Plantation Garden and the Strumpshaw Tree Festival.

3pm at St Andrew's Church, Eaton.
Admission to this concert is £10 for adults, £5 for students and children admitted free of charge.

21/12/2024

Just 3 weeks to go before we kick off our 2025 series of concerts. There's lots going on between now and then, but this concert is going to be such fun! Do support it if you can.

16/12/2024

Apologies - it's been a bit quiet on the Facebook front lately but finally... here's some news about forthcoming concerts!

We’re less than 4 weeks away from our first concert of 2025 on 12th January featuring local musicians Serendipity (an all-female vocal ensemble) and the Norwich Folk Ensemble. This is intended to be a fundraising concert so do please come and support it if you can.

Admission to this concert is £10 for adults, £5 for students and children admitted free of charge.

Do take a look at the website to see what exciting gems we have coming up between January to April! In the meantime, wishing all of our concert supporters a very happy Christmas and a peaceful New Year.

A fabulous music recital series based in Eaton, Norwich in the intimate setting of St. Andrew's Church.

11/11/2024

A couple more very short clips from yesterday - Andrew, Scott and Viv in rehearsal and part of Scott’s wonderful Arpeggione Sonata played on the viola. It was great to have parents/grandparents David and Elaine Storey back in Eaton too - they were responsible for founding the Concert Series 25 years ago 🎶🎹🎻

11/11/2024

Wow - what an amazing concert at St Andrew’s Eaton yesterday. This was chamber music at its finest. It was good to see a full house but surely aren’t all our concerts worthy of such a turnout?

Here’s a clip of father and son duo Andrew and Scott Storey with pianist extraordinaire Viv McLean playing part of their closing piece - one of the 3 duets for 2 violins and piano by Shostakovich played here on violin and viola. Bravo chaps!

03/11/2024

20/10/2024

The Eaton Concert Series was officially launched in September 2000. The idea was born out of David and Elaine Storey’s passion for live music as they sought to bring an exceptionally high standard of concerts to Eaton. This was facilitated by the fact that they had two musically talented sons, Martin (a cellist) and Andrew (a violinist), who had both studied at the Royal Academy of Music in London.

In the preceding years, a number of fund-raising concerts had been held to raise funds for a piano in order to provide an instrument of quality to meet the demands of the professional musicians coming to perform at St Andrew’s. Money was also raised to purchase a piano for Christ Church. Many of these fund-raising events were given by the brothers and their musical contacts and it was at a concert in December 1999 that it was decided to formalise the concerts, marking 25 years since the concept of a proper Concert Series.

On Sunday 10th November (3pm) at St Andrew's Eaton, we welcome back Andrew Storey who performed at that first concert in September 2000 along with pianist Viv McLean, another stalwart contributor to the Concert Series over the past two and a half decades. As well as being principal second violinist with the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra, Andrew is also Chair of the RPO Board.

We are also thrilled to be welcoming the next generation of Storeys as Andrew’s son Scott will be performing as a viola player. Scott was awarded a full scholarship to study violin and viola at the Royal College of Music and he will be performing Schubert’s Arpegionne Sonata. As a trio, they will also be playing a work composed by Scott’s brother Sam Storey who is studying Film Music at the Guildhall School of Music and Drama. Other works in the programme will include pieces by Mozart, Debussy, Faure and Shostakovich.

Photographed here are Andrew Storey with his sons Sam and Scott, along with Elaine and David Storey, taken after a concert at St Andrew's in May 2014. This promises to be a wonderful concert so do support it if you can!

19/10/2024

Back in November 2013, Eaton Concert Series hosted a masterclass with violinist Adrian Adlam coaching local young musicians. One of those young people was Dylan Latham. How lovely to see him emerge as a fully fledged concert violinist playing concerti some 11 years later! Maybe it's time to invite Dylan back to do a recital in his own right. (With apologies for the camera shake!)

14/10/2024

What a fabulous concert yesterday afternoon with Matt, Kate and Nat. Here they are playing the final gigue from Bach’s Cello Suite in D minor arranged by Kate for the trio!

13/10/2024

This afternoon’s concert at St Andrew’s promises to be an absolute treat for lovers of baroque music with three world class performers. Theorbo player Matthew Wadsworth, baroque cellist Kate Bennett Wadsworth and harpsichordist Nathaniel Mander will present a programme exploring the musical connections between J S Bach and some of his contemporaries. The music will include works by Joseph Bodin de Boismortier, Robert de Visee, Vivaldi, Marcello and Bach himself. Check out this video to see Matt and Kate in action playing Vivaldi. 3pm at St Andrew's Eaton.

Kate Bennett Wadsworth, celloMatthew Wadsworth, theorboWigmore Hall, London24 July, 2014Baroque cello after Montagnana made by Zhiming Wang (Beijing, 2011)

06/10/2024

We're just a week away from our concert next Sunday 13th October at Eaton which promises to be a feast of baroque music! Matt Wadsworth, Kate Bennett-Wadsworth and Nathaniel Mander will be exploring the musical links between J S Bach and some of his contemporaries.

For a man who never travelled, it is incredible to think that J S Bach is responsible for connecting up so much music from so many different places.

Composers to include Vivaldi, Marcello, Telemann, Barrière and Bach himself. As a little teaser, here is Nat playing Bach's Goldberg Variations which he played for us when he last came to Eaton in 2021.

Johann Sebastian Bach - Goldberg Variations, BWV 988, Nathaniel Mander, harpsichordPurchase a CD of Nathaniel's new recording of the work: https://www.nathan...

06/10/2024

Here are the ladies of Serendipity with their MD, Andrew Mildinhall, raising a glass after their concert in Lammas last night – returning by popular demand! Delighted to say that they are going to perform for us at St Andrew’s Eaton on Sunday 12th January in a concert of music beautifully arranged for upper voices.

29/09/2024

On Sunday 13th October, we look forward to welcoming theorbo player Matt Wadsworth and baroque cellist Kate Bennett Wadsworth at Eaton. The last time Matt and Kate played for us was in September 2022 and here's a short clip of them in action. This time they will be joined by harpsichordist, Nathaniel Mander, so another good reason for coming to support!

Nat has played at Eaton on several occasions, the last being a memorable performance of Bach's 'Goldberg Variations' at a socially-distanced concert during lockdown. Happily we can afford to be a bit more relaxed this time and this concert of baroque trios is a must for all lovers of baroque and early music.

22/09/2024

We had a fabulous concert with Emma Johnson and David Parry two weeks ago. Emma danced around and smiled as she played - it was as though she was 17 all over again!

We have another wonderful concert coming up on 13th October - baroque trios with theorbo player Matt Wadsworth, baroque cellist Kate Bennett-Wadsworth and harpsichordist Nathaniel Mander. They have all played at Eaton but this is the first time they have performed together!

For details of all concerts in the series, visit www.eatonconcertseries.co.uk/events

01/09/2024

Just one week to go before we welcome Emma Johnson at Eaton next Sunday. This will be a treat so do come if you can!

Described as 'Britain’s favourite clarinettist’, Emma’s career was launched after winning BBC Young Musician of The Year at the age of 17, in front of a TV audience of 12 million. Emma was honoured by the Queen with an MBE in 1996 and in 2020 she received the Cobbett Medal from the Musicians’ Company Guild in the City of London for distinguished services to chamber music.

Emma will be accompanied by the distinguished conductor and pianist, David Parry, in a programme to include works by Weber, Schumann (Fantasiestucke), Verdi (Rigoletto Fantasy), Poulenc, Mozart and Bernstein (Scenes from West Side Story).

Admission to this concert will be £15 for adults, £7.50 for students and children admitted free of charge. For details of all concerts in the series, please visit www.eatonconcertseries.co.uk