OUTREACH EVENTS
In 1997 the first of a number of Schools Projects was introduced, funded by money from the Lottery (Arts4Everyone) and led by Russell Keable with the Schidlof Quartet. The schools involved were Woolmer Hill, the Royal School, and Godalming College. Presentation concerts were given in each school. Since then similar events have been organised by HHH Concerts with some of our most recent concerts featured below.
February 2025: £955 raised for Phyllis Tuckwell
On 19 February, we were joined by Cellist Award winner at the Haslemere International String Competition 2025, Hugo Svedberg, and pianist, Samantha Carrasco for a lunchtime concert kindly supported by HRTCT and on behalf of the Phyllis Tuckwell Hospice.
The event raised £955.00 for the charity who had these kind words to share:
“Thank you so much for raising a wonderful £955.00 for Phyllis Tuckwell from Hugo and Samatha’s lunchtime concert on Wednesday 19th February. We’re so grateful that you chose to support us and really appreciate the fantastic amount of money you have raised through this event. It was a beautiful concert, and we hope everyone who attended enjoyed themselves. We’d like to extend our thanks to everyone for their kindness and generosity during the event.
Our aim is to make every day precious for our patients and their families who are living with an advanced or terminal illness, and thanks to your generosity we can make this happen.
You make it possible for us to continue caring for over 250 patients, relatives and carers every day across West Surrey and North-East Hampshire. In their own homes, in the community, on our In-Patient Unit and at the Beacon Centre in Guildford.
As the Government/NHS only cover 25% of our costs, we have to raise over £25,000 every single day to be able to offer all of our services free of charge, which is why fundraising donations such as yours are so important.”
November 2024: Musical journey from baroque to modern day musical theatre
Primary schoolchildren learnt about piano, guitar, violin, cello, harpsichord, trumpet, oboe and flute across a series of lunchtime chamber music recitals organised by local charity, HHH Concerts, in November 2024.
Schoolchildren and teachers from Camelsdale, Grayswood, St. Bartholomew’s and Shottermill attended across three days and learned about different musical instruments and types of music. The children heard music ranging from Nat King Cole to Corelli performed by some of the UK’s top classical and jazz musicians. Performers were - (day one) Keval Shah (piano)/Sophie Kauer (cello) - (day two) Alice Zawadzki (vocals/violin)/Rob Luft (guitar) - (day three) Perfect Cadence with Sylvia Turner (oboe), Nick Budd (trumpet), Lawrence Durkin (cello) and Bethany Reeves (harpsichord).
In addition, also in November 2024, secondary school pupils from Woolmer Hill School were treated to a private concert in their music studio by The Majorelle Trio. This trio comprises Daniel Ephgrave (flute), Kayla Nicol (violin) and Ben Carnell (cello). The pupils were treated to a musical journey spanning hundreds of years from baroque to modern day musical theatre.
The lunchtime concerts were supported by Cavatina Trust. HHH Concerts was also thrilled to have offered the proceeds of tickets from one of the lunchtime concerts to The Cheryl King Trust in Guildford. Their mission is to enable all young people to make music.
February 2024: Local Schoolchildren Are The First to Hear Haslemere’s New Grand Piano
In February 2024, HHH Concerts hosted three lunchtime piano concerts at St. Christopher’s Church, with international prize-winning pianists taking the stage. They were Damir Durmanovic, Gabriele Sutkute and Victor Braojos who are supported by The Keyboard Trust.
These were the first ever public performances of Haslemere’s NEW piano, purchased by Haslemere Parish with the support of Haslemere Festival and HHH Concerts. The piano is a handcrafted Shigeru Kawai concert grand.
Christopher Axworthy, representing Keyboard Trust explained:
“The real star of this piano series was the brand-new Shigeru Kawai piano chosen by the emeritus Keyboard Trust artist Sasha Grynyuk. It will be a valuable asset for all the many music lovers in Haslemere.”
HHH Concerts secured funding for these lunchtime concerts from Community Foundation For Surrey. The funding meant that schoolchildren from Shottermill Junior School, Camelsdale Primary School, Grayswood Primary School and Undershaw Education Trust were able to hear live high-quality music performed by professional pianists.
James Lindsey, Head of Pastoral Care at Undershaw shared:
“Another truly wonderful concert from HHH. It is inspirational to us all to see such beautiful music played so well. The students were transfixed and all said they loved the concert and would love to come again.”
Stephen Dennison, Chairman HHH Concerts said:
“It is a privilege to work with local schools and give them the opportunities to hear world-class music in an intimate setting. Some children said they felt happiness, sadness and joy as they listened. It meant so much to see them nodding their heads in time to the music. These concerts were made possible with the support of Community Foundation For Surrey and we are so grateful for their support.”
November 2023: Woolmer Hill Pupils Hear Music Fit for a King
In November, 80 pupils from Woolmer Hill were invited by HHH Concerts to a music workshop presented by The Oneira Trio. They got to hear live harp, flute and viola music across a range of solos, duets and the trio in the school hall. The concert lasted an hour and included a lively Q&A.
Head of Music and Creative Arts Faculty at Woolmer Hill School, Tom Heatley, shared:
“We created a concert venue in our school hall for a selection of Years 8 to 10 pupils. The concert was organised by HHH concerts in collaboration with The Oneira Trio, and we are very grateful that they arranged this for us. The performers were Emily Harris on harp, Isabelle Harris on flute and Teresa Macedo on viola. It was really inspiring. The students were thrilled, what a brilliant opportunity it was for them. One of the pupils attending who plays clarinet said “It was so brilliant, especially the harp.” A special moment came when the musicians were asked if they had ever performed for famous people. There was an audible gasp in the room when Emily Harris told the pupils that she had played the harp for King Charles!”
Stephen Dennison, Chairman – HHH Concerts, invited the school pupils so that they could be introduced to music of the highest quality at a young age. He said that this may have been the first time the children will have heard professional musicians play live. Mr Dennison is passionate about growing audiences for classical music in Haslemere. He said:
“It was a joy to see the looks of concentration on the pupils’ faces as they listened to the musicians. The pupils’ questions after were curious and insightful. It was all the more special when three pupils were given the chance to conduct the trio. I would like to extend my gratitude to Cavatina Chamber Music Trust whose funding helped make this outreach concert happen.”