Season 85
AUTUMN INSPIRATIONS!
Saturday 19th September
St Mary's Church, Causeway 7.00pm
RED PRIEST 'Truly, Madly Baroque'
Piers Adams recorders Julia Bishop violin
Angela East cello David Wright harpsichord
Horsham Music Circle opens its 85th Season with the internationally acclaimed ensemble Red Priest, whose exhilarating performances have redefined the presentation of Baroque music for modern audiences. Led by recorder virtuoso Piers Adams, founder of the ensemble and one of Britain's most celebrated early music performers, Red Priest combines exceptional virtuosity, theatrical flair and fearless interpretative style in performances that have captivated audiences worldwide.
Their programme, Truly, Madly Baroque, celebrates the spirit of invention, improvisation and dramatic expression that lay at the heart of Baroque performance practice, where musicians were expected not simply to reproduce the written notes but to embellish, ornament and reinvent the music before them. Featuring works by Vivaldi, Bach, Handel, Telemann, Purcell and Corelli, the programme explores both the elegance and exuberance of the Baroque tradition. Highlights include Bach's Brandenburg Concerto No. 5, the expressive Adagio associated with the film Truly, Madly, Deeply, and a dazzling reworking of Corelli's La Folia, all delivered with Red Priest's trademark brilliance, technical mastery and theatricality. Combining historical awareness with a fresh and imaginative approach, the ensemble creates performances that are both intellectually engaging and irresistibly entertaining.
Internationally celebrated for their dynamic stage presence and fearless musicianship, Red Priest has earned a reputation as one of the world's most original Baroque ensembles, delighting audiences across Europe, North America and Asia. This promises a vividly entertaining and musically exhilarating opening to Horsham Music Circle's season.
Saturday 17th October
Causeway Barn 7.00pm
SOFIA ROS
Classical Accordionist
Supported by the Countess of Munster
Musical Trust Recital Scheme
We are pleased to welcome Spanish accordionist Sofía Ros, one of the most exciting young musicians to emerge in recent years. Winner of the 2025 BBC Radio Scotland Young Classical Musician of the Year following her acclaimed debut with the BBC Scottish Symphony Orchestra, she has already performed at major venues including Carnegie Hall, the Musikverein in Vienna and the Edinburgh International Festival. Her artistry combines exceptional technical command with musical sensitivity and imagination, redefining expectations of the classical accordion.
Her recital explores more than three centuries of music, with works by Scarlatti, Bach, Albéniz, Liszt and Tchaikovsky revealing the instrument’s remarkable versatility. Moving effortlessly between Baroque clarity, Romantic lyricism and vibrant Spanish colour, the programme demonstrates how the accordion can combine intimacy with a richness of sound more often associated with a full ensemble. Whether capturing the elegance of Scarlatti, the architectural brilliance of Bach, the evocative colours of Albéniz or the sweeping lyricism of Liszt and Tchaikovsky, Sofía Ros brings each work to life through imaginative phrasing, refined tonal control and a striking palette of musical colour. Familiar masterpieces are heard from a fresh perspective while remaining true to their original character.
This promises to be an engaging and highly original recital from a remarkable young artist, offering audiences the opportunity to discover the expressive possibilities of an instrument that continues to win an increasingly important place on the classical concert platform.
Saturday, 21st November
St Mary's Church, Causeway 7.00pm
The COULL QUARTET
Roger Coull & David Alberman violins
Jonathan Barritt viola Nicholas Roberts cello
The Autumn Series in the 85th season concludes with the distinguished Coull Quartet, one of Britain’s most respected chamber ensembles. Formed in 1974 at the Royal Academy of Music and long established as Quartet-in-Residence at the University of Warwick, the ensemble has built an outstanding reputation through extensive touring, broadcasts and an acclaimed catalogue of recordings. Their performances are admired for their finely balanced ensemble playing, musical insight and expressive depth.
The programme brings together three masterpieces that span more than a century of the string quartet repertoire. Mozart’s String Quartet in C major, K465, the celebrated “Dissonance” Quartet, combines Classical elegance with remarkable harmonic daring, its mysterious opening leading to music of wit, lyricism and brilliance. Shostakovich’s String Quartet No. 7, the shortest of his quartets, is a work of concentrated emotional intensity, dedicated to the memory of his first wife and remarkable for its dramatic contrasts and expressive power. Completing the programme is Brahms’s String Quartet in A minor, Op. 51 No. 2, a richly textured and deeply satisfying work whose warmth, lyrical beauty and structural mastery provide a compelling conclusion.
Drawing on more than five decades of shared musical experience, the Coull Quartet combines authority with vitality in performances of exceptional insight and communicative power. This promises to be a fitting and memorable finish to our Autumn Series.
Free Lunchtime Organ Recitals
given by GERALD TAYLOR FRCO
1pm at the Unitarian Church, Worthing Road, Horsham
tba
retiring collection in aid of Music Circle funds
______________________
SEPTEMBER
Adults £24
Under 18s £3
OCTOBER
Adults £18
Under 18s £3
NOVEMBER
Adults £25
Under 18s £3
SEPTEMBER
Adults £24
Under 18s £3
OCTOBER
Adults £18
Under 18s £3
NOVEMBER
Adults £25
Under 18s £3
SEPTEMBER
Adults £24
Under 18s £3
OCTOBER
Adults £18
Under 18s £3
NOVEMBER
Adults £25
Under 18s £3
Season 83
CONCERTS FOR SPRING 2025
Saturday 15th February
St Mary's Church, Causeway 4.30pm
SUSSEX CHAMBER PLAYERS
Judith Templeman, Rachel Ellis,
Adam Barker & Anna Giddey, violins
Ros Hanson-Laurent & Emily Marsden, violas
Jess Garner & Joe Giddey, cellos
This octet of chamber players each studied at one of the major colleges of music and has subsequently made a fulfilling career. Together they are a group of like-minded musicians who enjoy chamber music but also work in a range of settings including teaching, coaching and performing. They gave a splendid performance at the Music Circle’s Vaughan Williams 150 concert in 2022 and now, to open our Spring series, are back with larger forces to play Mendelssohn’s ever popular Octet, a youthful masterpiece brimming with energy, lyricism, and ingenuity. Programmed with this wonderful work are string octet arrangements by Anna Cooper of Moskowski’s Bolero, Après Un Rêve by Fauré, Duke Ellington’s Prelude to a Kiss and the Sextet in E flat by Frank Bridge, a richly textured piece full of lush harmonies and poignant expression. A real feast of chamber music not to be missed!
Saturday 15th March
Causeway Barn 7.00pm
BAROQUE ALCHEMY
Piers Adams - recorders Lyndy Mayle - keyboards
An evening with a difference and one to bring baroque into the 21st century involving electronic keyboards! International recorder player and Red Priest frontman Piers Adams, ‘the leading recorder virtuoso in the world today’ (Washington Post), joins forces with multi-talented keyboardist Lyndy Mayle in ‘Baroque Alchemy’ an extraordinary electro-baroque fusion duo. This programme has been impressing music societies throughout the country. Piers has performed for the Music Circle before with his group Red Priest. His mission, with Lyndy, is to to ‘alchemise’ baroque (and other classical) music and bring it into the 21st century, but in a way which is appealing to traditional classical audiences as well as younger, more eclectic ones. The beauty of the synth is that it can produce a wondrous range of sounds and as such it is the perfect accompaniment to the purity and natural expression of the recorder. Piers and Lyndy re-imagine music from mediaeval and baroque masters to modern day tango and jazz. The wizardry of the keyboard and expressive power of Piers' recorders promises a perfect blend of ancient and modern in a dazzling and moving performance.
Saturday 10th May
St Mary’s Church, Causeway 7.00pm
ONYX BRASS
Niall Keatley & Alan Thomas - trumpets
Andrew Sutton - horn
Amos Miller - trombone David Gordon-Shute - tuba
A resounding finish to the season is expected when acclaimed quintet Onyx Brass plays for our 83rd Anniversary concert. It celebrated its 30th anniversary last year and continues to be the leading light in establishing the brass quintet as a medium for serious chamber music, combining ‘staggering virtuosity’ (Sarah Walker, BBC Radio 3) with the entertaining and articulate style that has become the group’s trademark. Onyx has toured extensively: there are very few corners of the UK that remain unvisited! The group has also performed regularly at festivals and concert halls in the USA, Ireland, France, Sweden, Germany, Portugal, Switzerland, Nigeria, Bermuda and Borneo to unanimous critical acclaim, acclaim that has been similarly forthcoming for its recordings. Gramophone hail ‘some of the most thrilling chamber brass-playing of its kind’ and Record Review (R3) describing the group as a ‘wonderful, virtuosic brass quintet’. The programme ranges from Monteverdi’s Vespers, Rameau and Bach to Shostakovich, Arnold and Bernstein’s West Side Story Suite.
Free Lunchtime Organ Recitals
given by Gerald Taylor FRCO
Unitarian Church, Worthing Road
to be arranged
______________________
February
Adults £21
Under 18s £3
March
Adults £18
Under 18s £3
May
Adults £23
Under 18s £3
Season 83
CONCERTS FOR SPRING 2025
Saturday 15th February
St Mary's Church, Causeway 4.30pm
SUSSEX CHAMBER PLAYERS
Judith Templeman, Rachel Ellis,
Adam Barker & Anna Giddey, violins
Ros Hanson-Laurent & Emily Marsden, violas
Jess Garner & Joe Giddey, cellos
This octet of chamber players each studied at one of the major colleges of music and has subsequently made a fulfilling career. Together they are a group of like-minded musicians who enjoy chamber music but also work in a range of settings including teaching, coaching and performing. They gave a splendid performance at the Music Circle’s Vaughan Williams 150 concert in 2022 and now, to open our Spring series, are back with larger forces to play Mendelssohn’s ever popular Octet, a youthful masterpiece brimming with energy, lyricism, and ingenuity. Programmed with this wonderful work are string octet arrangements by Anna Cooper of Moskowski’s Bolero, Après Un Rêve by Fauré, Duke Ellington’s Prelude to a Kiss and the Sextet in E flat by Frank Bridge, a richly textured piece full of lush harmonies and poignant expression. A real feast of chamber music not to be missed!
Saturday 15th March
Causeway Barn 7.00pm
BAROQUE ALCHEMY
Piers Adams - recorders Lyndy Mayle - keyboards
An evening with a difference and one to bring baroque into the 21st century involving electronic keyboards! International recorder player and Red Priest frontman Piers Adams, ‘the leading recorder virtuoso in the world today’ (Washington Post), joins forces with multi-talented keyboardist Lyndy Mayle in ‘Baroque Alchemy’ an extraordinary electro-baroque fusion duo. This programme has been impressing music societies throughout the country. Piers has performed for the Music Circle before with his group Red Priest. His mission, with Lyndy, is to to ‘alchemise’ baroque (and other classical) music and bring it into the 21st century, but in a way which is appealing to traditional classical audiences as well as younger, more eclectic ones. The beauty of the synth is that it can produce a wondrous range of sounds and as such it is the perfect accompaniment to the purity and natural expression of the recorder. Piers and Lyndy re-imagine music from mediaeval and baroque masters to modern day tango and jazz. The wizardry of the keyboard and expressive power of Piers' recorders promises a perfect blend of ancient and modern in a dazzling and moving performance.
Saturday 10th May
St Mary’s Church, Causeway 7.00pm
ONYX BRASS
Niall Keatley & Alan Thomas - trumpets
Andrew Sutton - horn
Amos Miller - trombone David Gordon-Shute - tuba
A resounding finish to the season is expected when acclaimed quintet Onyx Brass plays for our 83rd Anniversary concert. It celebrated its 30th anniversary last year and continues to be the leading light in establishing the brass quintet as a medium for serious chamber music, combining ‘staggering virtuosity’ (Sarah Walker, BBC Radio 3) with the entertaining and articulate style that has become the group’s trademark. Onyx has toured extensively: there are very few corners of the UK that remain unvisited! The group has also performed regularly at festivals and concert halls in the USA, Ireland, France, Sweden, Germany, Portugal, Switzerland, Nigeria, Bermuda and Borneo to unanimous critical acclaim, acclaim that has been similarly forthcoming for its recordings. Gramophone hail ‘some of the most thrilling chamber brass-playing of its kind’ and Record Review (R3) describing the group as a ‘wonderful, virtuosic brass quintet’. The programme ranges from Monteverdi’s Vespers, Rameau and Bach to Shostakovich, Arnold and Bernstein’s West Side Story Suite.
Free Lunchtime Organ Recitals
given by Gerald Taylor FRCO
Unitarian Church, Worthing Road
to be arranged
______________________
February
Adults £21
Under 18s £3
March
Adults £18
Under 18s £3
May
Adults £23
Under 18s £3
February
Adults £21
Under 18s £3
March
Adults £18
Under 18s £3
May
Adults £23
Under 18s £3
February
Adults £21
Under 18s £3
March
Adults £18
Under 18s £3
May
Adults £23
Under 18s £3