Magical Musical Moments

Magical Musical Moments are intimate concerts by candlelight in the setting of a small country church. All proceeds go to charitable causes, and to date some £5400 has been distributed between national campaigns such as Cancer Research UK and local charities such as the Offton and Willisham Village Hall.

December 2006 saw MMM reach their 10th concert and I was invited along by Maartje Rondeboom who organises the events to hear The Pavao Quartet.

The Pavao Quartet tuning in the tower. From left to right: Jenny Sacha, Kerenza Peacock, Bryony James & Natalia Gomes

The Quartet comprise Kerenza Peacock (former Ipswich High Pupil) on violin, Jenny Sacha also on violin, Natalia Gomes on viola and Bryony James on Cello. These young women all trained at the Royal Academy of Music.

It was a cold, wintry night in Offton and I didn’t know what to expect. Going to see a string quartet doesn’t really fit with my normal listening habits!

The church looked really inviting by candlelight and the room was filling up fast. As more people arrived extra seats had to be fetched.

After introductions and acknowledgements the performance started and we were entertained with a mixture of classical and contemporary music. As part of their programme the quartet played a specially arranged version of “Away in a Manger” that they had recorded to raise money for the charity “Breakthrough to Breast Cancer” which was available as a download from their website. Just what we all needed to get us in the Christmas spirit.

The Pavao Quartet take their seats to perform in front of a capacity audience at Offton Church

These events are usually accompanied by cheese and wine but to mark the birthday of the concerts we were treated to an excellent array of goodies, which to everyone’s amusement were served by the ladies of the quartet!

The evening was a great success and I would like to thank everyone involved with MMM for inviting me along and opening my eyes and ears to the sound of the strings.

For more information about this years concerts being held at Offton church visit: Magical Musical Moments website

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