A Concert in aid of the Organ Restoration Fund, St Paul's Chapel, Stansted

Given by

Mark Hartt-Palmer Violin

Richard Barnes Keyboard

To include music by

Schubert, Fauré, Dvorák, R Strauss and Elgar

Thursday, 24th September

7.00pm

Tickets: £20, to include Interval Refreshments

obtainable from the Stansted Park Foundation website

The empty organ chamber

Richard gained his early training as a Chorister at Westminster Abbey and Choral Scholar at King’s College, Cambridge, passed his ARCO organ diploma while still at school and has subsequently enjoyed a varied career as singer, organist (Holy Trinity, Brompton and Dorchester Abbey), piano accompanist and continuo player, conductor (Epsom Chamber Choir, Portsmouth Baroque Choir) and lecturer (Royal Academy of Music). In 1977 he founded the music publishing company Cathedral Music Ltd, whose publications have been performed and recorded all over the world, including the King’s Coronation in 2023. He was accompanist to The Chichester Singers 1995-2019, and is now Organist and Pianist for Services and Events at Stansted.

Mark studied the violin at the Royal College of Music under Frances Mason, since when he has performed regularly both as a soloist and recitalist. At the 2007 Chichester Festivities he gave one of the first performances of the newly-discovered concerto by Samuel Coleridge-Taylor, later giving its Canadian première. With the Chichester Symphony Orchestra he has performed the Mendelssohn, Dvorak, Elgar, Sibelius and Tchaikovsky concertos, and for some years was the orchestra’s Musical Director. Since 2016 he has been Artistic Director of the CD recording company Willowhayne Records, of whose rapidly expanding programme of releases several examples may now be heard for instance while you are relaxing on a long-haul British Airways flight!

Richard and Mark have been a Duo together for almost 40 years. Their concerts together have taken them to such prestigious venues as St John’s Cathedral in Valletta, the Temple Church in London and Magdalen College Chapel, Oxford. More locally they have given a recital series in Portsmouth’s Menuhin Room, frequent lunchtime concerts in Chichester Cathedral and appearances at the Brighton Festival and Chichester Festivities. One of their specialities is the repertoire for violin and organ - a rare but delightful combination which they hope to showcase here next year.