Helen Fayrefax’s series of rehearsals for her baroque instrumental (and voice) combinations is now underway for 2025.She writes:

“A friend of mine used to say that music is a great bringer together of people.  Rachel is a solicitor,  Stephen was a scientist at East Malling Research Station studying varieties of fruit & veg, & Dinyar is an IT consultant.  None of them had met one another before. 

Conversations over lunch & quick tea breaks allow us to  examine & play one another's instruments & discuss strings, makers, bows, orchestras, courses, & Dinyar's interesting plan of putting on a Pay2Play scratch Messiah with proceeds going to charity.

Dinyar also has some very ancient unknown apple trees in an orchard in Ebony, which Stephen may hopefully now be able to help him identify.

Playing music with others also uses so many areas of the brain that it is supposed to be very good for keeping that mortal enemy that we all dread, Alzheimer’s, at bay; & we definitely all went home feeling as if we'd given the little grey cells a thoroughly good workout.”

String quartets with Rachel (Hastings) & Helen (organizer, Tenterden, hiding behind the camera, as usual), violins 1 & 2; Stephen (East Malling) viola; & Dinyar (Rolvenden) cello.  We played Mozart K421 & K458  & Beethoven op 18 no. 6.