Maldon Festival 2022 programme of events
Date | Time | Concert or Event Name | Performers | Description | Venue
| Ticket Price |
24th June | 7.30 pm | Silent Movie Night ‘The Phantom of the Opera’ | Jonathan Eyre | A long-standing favourite with Festival audiences, Jonathan Eyre will improvise the sound track to the original movie first screened in 1925. The movie adapted Gaston Leroux’s 1910 novel which described historical events at the Paris Opera of the 19th Century, interwoven with myths of ghostly performers who haunt that famous stage. Today’s audiences will recognise many of the signature themes and images that were first coined in the movie and which have inspired the famous musical and many artworks since. | St Mary’s Church CM9 5HP
| £15* – £18.00 |
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25th June | Mid day | Children’s Concert ‘Daniel Jazz’ | Children from local schools and choirs Richard Cook (organist) | This fabulous families’ concert will perform ‘Daniel Jazz’ written by Herbert Chappell in 1962. It was the forerunner for children’s music such as ‘Jonah-man Jazz’ by Michael Hurd (1962) and Joseph and his amazing technicolour dream coat’ by Andrew Lloyd-Webber (1968). Its inspirational tunes and lively beats are woven around the people and themes of the Old Testament’s Book of Daniel. Children, teachers and performers from local choirs and schools will feature, providing the perfect introduction to singing and performing. This concert is guaranteed to get the audience in the swing of things. This concert has been sponsored by Felsted School. | St Mary’s Church CM9 5HP
| Free with retiring collection |
25th June | 7.30 pm | Open Air Opera & Picnic: Double Bill Une éducation manquée and Cox and box | Handmade Opera | Chabrier Une éducation manquée plus Sullivan Cox and Box with children’s chorus featuring students from Orwell Park School. The open-air opera was a new addition to the 2020 Festival and is back by popular demand. Held in St Mary’s churchyard with the Blackwater Estuary providing a spectacular backdrop, this is the perfect opera for a summer’s evening. It offers the classic combination of wonderful music and a ditsy story of an innocent young couple investigating the dynamics of relationships, facilitated by no-less innocent but more elderly advisors. | The Octagon Church- yard CM9 5HP | £22* – £25.00 |
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26th June | Mid day
| Historic Costume Masterclass | Nancy Hills – Utah State University | For Bridgeton fans, this is an opportunity to explore underneath the petticoats, and see how costumes developed through the following century. Nancy provides a masterclass in the history and construction of eighteenth centre clothing, illustrated by an exhibition of reproduction costumes, especially curated for the purpose. | The Museum of Power CM9 6QA | Free with option to donate |
26th June | 6.00 pm | Festival Choral Evensong | Choirs of St Mary’s Maldon and Richmond Parish Church | Following this year’s Festival theme and focus on connections between French and English composition, this service includes Vaughan William’s Evening Canticles in the key of C. The anthem will be Faure’s Cantique. | St Mary’s Church CM9 5HP | Free with option to donate |
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1st July | 7.30 pm | The French Connection 1 Piano Recital | James Housego: Home grown talent, James Housego is now a Festival regular, drawing a large audience of supporters to his recitals. James was an organ scholar at St. Mary’s Maldon before moving on as a scholar to the Guildhall School of Music and Drama | Having impressed audiences at the 2019 Festival, James is back by popular demand to play a full-length recital. The programme includes: Bach: French Suite VWV 813 Debussy: Preludes 7, 8 and 9 (book 1) Chopin: Nocturnes and Preludes Plus music by Prokofiev and Clementi This concert follows on from last year’s highly appreciated lunch time recital and is the subject of much anticipation amongst the Festival’s fans. James is a great example of the local talent which the Festival aims to identify and encourage. It is a pleasure to offer this showcase of beautiful music and exceptional talent. | St Mary’s Church CM9 5HP | £13* – £15.00 |
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2nd July | Mid day | Songs of Summer | Hilary Norman (mezzo soprano) Christopher Weston (piano) | Faure’s La Bonne Chanson and Quilter’s Three Blake Songs (Op 20). This concert develops the Festival’s French Connection theme, linking Faure and Ravel with Vaughan Williams and Quilter. Audiences will hear how the inspiring music and teaching of Faure flows through the generations and across national boundaries. The songs poetically explore how the seasons are marked across the landscapes and the moods of the people living therein. | St Mary’s Church CM9 5HP | Free with option to donate |
2nd July | 7.30 pm | The French Connection II | Colin Baldy (baritone) John D’Ancona (tenor) James Davy (piano) The Francis Dehqany Quartet | The songs of Ravel and Vaughan Williams are combined with Barber’s much-loved Adagio for strings. The concert continues ‘The French Connection’ with Barber’s haunting Dover Beach which weaves Mathew Arnold’s words around a simple and soulful violin accompaniment. | St Mary’s Church CM9 5HP | £17* – £20.00 |
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3rd July | Mid day | Recital Operatic Gems | A programme of operatic favourites from Handel to Carmen and back again | St Mary’s Church CM9 5HP | Free with option to donate | |
3rd July | 4.00 pm | The Art of the Cello | Benjamin Carnell (cello) Ian Ray (piano) Both performers are locally based and much respected for their work throughout the region and as nationally recognised performers | All the magic and pathos of piano and cello combined, this programme will blend inspiring music that will uplift audiences. Bach: Cello suite No 3 in C Major BWV 1009 Vaughan Williams: Six Studies in English Folksong Saint-Saëns: Cello Sonata No 1, op 32 Ravel: Piece en forme de Habanera Moeran: Prelude
| St Mary’s Church CM9 5HP | £13* – £15.00 |
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8th July | 8.00 pm | The Art of the Choral Scholar | Scholars from Chelmsford Cathedral
| Celebrating the talent and dedication of choral scholars from Chelmsford Cathedral.
| St Mary’s Church CM9 5HP | £10* – £12.00 |
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9th July | 7.30 pm | The French Connection Festival Finale | James Davy (Organist) Festival Strings Festival Choir | The closing concert for the 2022 Festival, the programme includes Poulenc’s glorious concerto first performed in Paris in 1939. Poulenc: organ concerto Vaughan Williams: Five Mystical Songs Rhosymedre Fauré: Cantique de Jean Racine | St Mary’s Church CM9 5HP | £18* – £20.00 |
Follow this link to view previous programmes