Welcome

Welcome to Pinner Music Festival

Pinner Music Festival 2026 (June 8 – 13) is now over, but our brilliant, truly special concerts live on, resonating in our memories. It was an extraordinary week in many ways, bringing superb artists and great programmes to audiences throughout the week. We featured returns by several artists who had been before, and included pieces by all the composers from whom we had commissioned works in the last nine Festivals. There were two newly commissioned works: one for the Festival Choir & Orchestra by Marco Galvani; the other for Pinner Parish Church Choir by Paul Jeanes – who takes over shortly as Director of Pinner Music Festival.

At our opening Seminar, Petroc Trelawny elicited fascinating insights from the panel of artists: organist Paul Greally, flautist Ellie Blamires of Ensemble Renard, cellist Jacqueline Thomas of Brodsky Quartet and composer Marco Galvani. After a brief rearrangement in the nave, Julian Perkins skilfully performed works that influenced JS Bach, some of Bach’s own pieces, and compositions by two of his sons (CPE & WF), on two clavichords, their gentle sounds drawing us into Bach’s Attick.

Pinner Parish Church Choir were on sparkling form, directed by Martin Singleton, on Tuesday evening in a wide-ranging concert that celebrated choral works by Samuel Sebastian Wesley, Fauré, Stanford, Parry & Bainton, and contemporary composers John Whittaker, Russell Pascoe, and Paul Jeanes, in his lovely PMF-commissioned setting of Psalm 121. These pieces had striking organ accompaniments, played by Paul Greally, erstwhile Pinner Organ Scholar, now Assistant Organist at Westminster Abbey. Paul performed beautiful, impressive solo works – by Mendelssohn, Vierne, SS Wesley & Martin Bussey – showing his considerable skills and familiarity with the Church Organ, for whose restoration PMF26 was raising funds.

In our two lunchtime concerts (Wednesday & Thursday), we were treated to exemplary recitals by the Royal Academy of Music Harp Ensemble (12 harpists on 4 harps!) and by wind quintet, Ensemble Renard. In these two very different sound worlds, we were treated to varied works by contemporary and earlier composers, all attuned to the instrumental possibilities, many written for these particular ensembles. Elegance, discipline, fine musicianship and sheer joy were in abundance.

For our other visiting artists, we were privileged to listen on Wednesday evening to the exceptional Brodsky Quartet, and on Friday night to acclaimed pianist and arranger Yevgeny Sudbin, in concerts that revealed why their strong reputations had preceded them. In the former, three very different and fine string quartets were given stunning and compelling accounts: Shostakovich’s 11th Quartet, Mozart’s Prussian Quartet K589, and Beethoven’s great Op 130 Quartet. Yevgeny Sudbin gave an amazing display of pianism, from Bach, through Scriabin, Chopin & Bach (via Rachmaninov), Scarlatti, and Tchaikovsky – in Yevgeny’s superb arrangement of his Romeo & Juliet.

The final concert was by Pinner Music Festival’s Choir & Orchestra, soloists Emma Walshe, David Gould & Charlie Biagent (standing in at very short notice), directed by Paul Jeanes. They opened with a joyful Purcell Birthday Ode, Come ye Sons of Art, with splendid interactions between choir, orchestra & soloists, and closed with Fauré’s glorious, very moving Requiem. Between, we heard two movements from Secular Requiem by Russell Pascoe, and PMF2026 commission Eternity, a lovely setting of Emily Dickinson’s poems for choir, strings & French horns by Marco Galvani.

The remarkable week was drawn to a close the following day at a beautiful Festival Choral Evensong. We celebrated and gave thanks for a wonderful week of music performed by superb artists, who have delighted and moved excellent audiences – raising over £2,000 for the Organ Restoration Fund.

This was the 60th PMF, building on the first 50 led by Michael Turvey MBE. It was the last of ten under the current team, which I have been privileged to lead as Festival Director. During this time, we have raised well over £30,000 for local charities where our contributions could make a difference. We have brought high quality classical music at affordable prices to the heart of Pinner – in the wonderful setting and fine acoustic of St John’s, Pinner Parish Church. Audiences of loyal supporters as well as welcome newcomers have been enchanted and surprised. We have commissioned several substantive new compositions (Pascoe, Bussey, Jeanes & Galvani), and we have featured younger musicians, local players, and distinctive ensembles, as well as established performers. Pinner Music Festival has gained a reputation, locally and beyond, for a certain style and ambience and, above all, a quality audience.

I give especial thanks to Emmie MacGregor, Trevor Mitchell, Shirley Wootten, Stephen Brown, David Gould, and Paul Jeanes, among many other volunteers, for all their help. I am most grateful to Paul Hullyer, Vicar, and the Parochial Church Council, their Treasury team, Director of Music Martin Singleton, and to Janet Huzsczo for their terrific support.

The next Home Page will be written by Paul Jeanes and will carry news of next Year’s Pinner Music Festival, PMF2027 (14 to 19 June). I know that Paul has some great plans, so watch out for that update later in the year. In the meantime, my thanks to you all for your interest and love of music.

Professor Anthony J Pinching

Director, Pinner Music Festival