We are excited to have the opportunity to perform Henry Purcell's The Fairy Queen with The Baroque Collective - a period instrument orchestra based in Lewes, East Sussex, directed by conductor and singer John Hancorn and violinist Alison Bury.
Their performances include Handel’s Messiah with the East Sussex Bach Choir and Bach’s St John Passion with the Esterházy Chamber Choir in Lewes;  Purcell’s King Arthur with the Fletching Singers; ‘The Cares of Lovers’ at the Uckfield Festival and Handel’s Acis and Galatea at the Montpelier and Powis Festival, Brighton; and regular performances of major baroque choral works with the East Sussex Bach Choir and the Baroque Collective Singers.

We are also proud to welcome to the performance five excellent professional soloists. Alexandra Kidgell - soprano; Shona Knight - soprano; Hugh Cutting - countertenor; Louis Watkins- tenor and Andrew Davies - baritone.

You will be enchanted by this semi-opera by Purcell. The libretto is an anonymous adaptation of Shakespeare's Midsummer Nights Dream and was first performed in 1692,  Purcell composed The Fairy Queen three years before he died at the age of 35. Following his death, the score was lost and only rediscovered early in the twentieth century.

Purcell composed short masques which are related to the original play metaphorically, rather than literally. The Fairy Queen ends with a masque featuring Hymen, the God of Marriage, and is believed to have been composed for the fifteenth wedding anniversary of William III and Mary II.

The concert will take place at St Mary's Church Kemp Town, situated in a vibrant and diverse part of the city. The church has a wonderful acoustic making it particularly good for musical performances.

As a charity ourselves we endeavour to support other charities when we can. For our retiring collection at this concert we will be supporting Moulsecoomb Forest Garden and Wildlife Project.
 https://moulsecoombforestgarden.org/ 
Established as a project in 1994, and as a charity in 2005, Moulsecoomb Forest Garden and Wildlife Project – MFGWP – is a small charity on the outskirts of Brighton located in an area of high deprivation with few community facilities.

They provide outdoor education and therapeutic support for pupils at Key Stages 3 and 4 in the Brighton and Hove area, offering eco-therapy and outdoor education to complement the school curriculum. They specialise in working with young people with learning difficulties such as Autism, Asperger Syndrome, Dyslexia and ADHD.

They offer horticultural, carpentry, woodland management, cooking, educational and social opportunities to everyone.

Their aims are to:

• Reduce anti-social behaviour by involving excluded pupils in the running of the garden.
• Improve community health by producing organic and locally grown fruit and vegetables.
• Enhance skills and employability by offering practical based training and volunteering opportunities.
• Involve children in planting, growing and eating healthy food and learning to respect nature and the environment.
• Create and enhance wildlife habitats and protect biodiversity including old fashioned vegetable varieties.
• Promote sustainable lifestyles by encouraging and educating people about the benefits of organic gardening, locally produced food and composting.