St. Nicholas Festival of Music

The Festival of Music at St. Nicholas Church is now firmly part of the Brighton musical scene. First launched to help raise funds for the new organ in 2011, the varied series of musical entertainment was so successful that a follow-up was organised: this has now become a regular annual event which attracts a growing audience.

This year, the Festival will take place from 26 – 28 September.

Featured are the popular Brighton Gay Men’s Chorus, with their usual mix of songs and stand-up: music for every possible taste and a lot of jokes along the way. The real D’Oyly Carte Opera Company and soloists are offering a Gala Evening of Gilbert and Sullivan on Saturday, and the ticket price includes a picnic supper basket. Younger audiences will love the chance to come and sing along in a production of ‘The Selfish Giant’, a musical based on a children’s story by Oscar Wilde. There will be a Jazz Brunch with a barbecue on Sunday after morning service – it’s possible that the Dean of Southwark, who is coming to preach, will be found sharing chargrilled sausages and chicken on the grassy open spaces of St. Nicholas’ Churchyard. It’s certain that he will have been listening to the Schola Cantorum, an elite small choir, singing Palestrina’s Missa Brevis during the Festival Eucharist beforehand.

What makes St. Nicholas Festival of Music so particularly special is the range of music on offer: it is professional and amateur, it is sacred and secular, it is for young and old, it is for listening or for taking part. It is a marvellous event to find in the heart of the city.

All details and booking forms, together with news of mailing lists and the Friends Scheme are available from www.stnicholasbrighton.org.uk, The Dome Booking Office, 01273 709709, or from the Church itself.