If you (or anyone you know) would like to use the church for a performance, exhibition or an event, please give Alan Felton, (our Events Co-ordinator) a call on 01273 733455 or email vitailampada@aol.com
Events in 2007
Friday 21st December - saw the long awaited return of The Brighton and Hove Actually Gay Men's Chorus with guest patron and organist Dame Margot Hamilton
On Saturday 15th December we held the Winter Festival, attended by the Mayor of Brighton and Hove, with stalls, entertainment, mulled wine and mince pies in the Old Market garden.
In the afternoon the church was filled to capacity for a beautiful candlelit carol service.
In November the Church was home to local artists
Oxjam - Sunday 14th October
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Photo: Amanda Davidson, artist in residence, with a local family at the Big Draw on 13th October
The Big Draw - Saturday October 13th
Organised by Ellie Sampson and Amanda Davidson, the day was a big success. Amanda, our artist in residence, prepared St Andrew’s for the big day decorating it with an angel and demon theme and laying out all the art materials. About 50 kids came - some fairies and demons among them - plus at least as many adults, 9 volunteers, and many casual visitors, who popped in to see the church as they noticed it was open and then stayed on to enjoy the fun. We did a giant communal drawing the length of the church and up the chancel steps. Kate Snell from our main sponsors Brighton and Hove family Homes contributed to the drawing as did her son Fred. Rosamund Lomax from St Christopher’s School ran a “design your own stained glass window” competition in the choir stalls which attracted some well-observed and colourful entries from the children. A team of volunteers made our visitors welcome and sold tea and cakes all afternoon. Many families took advantage of lunch at The Iron Duke which became a popular retreat from all that artistic endeavour, specially with 20% off a meal. Latest Homes magazine sent a photographer and his report and some great photos are in this weeks edition on page 10. A happy day - one that we will certainly do again.
Thank you to Brewer’s, Brighton and Hove Family Homes, Economy of Brighton, The Churches Conservation Trust and The Iron Duke Hotel
An Afternoon with Lipsync
Lipsync – a newly formed, all female singing group under the musical direction of Nick Andrews enchanted a large audience with their range of music including a complete performance of the wonderful Stabat Mater by Pergolesi and a world premiere of a beautiful setting of the Emily Dickinson poem - "Hope is a thing with feathers" - by the gifted 16 year old, Brighton composer Jude Obermuller. who was in the audience to receive the accolade of the audience. Tea and home-made cakes were served by members of Lipsynch – talented cake-makers as well as singers - and the retiring collection made over £500.00 - a truly magnificent effort.
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Lynden Cranham and Richard Barnes recently explored a repertoire of baroque composers in front of a spellbound audience.
Paul Brazer gave them a first-rate review in the Argus. We do hope that they will return to St. Andrews soon.
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The Brighton & Hove (actually) Gay Men's Chorus is now resident at St Andrew's Church, Waterloo St, Hove, opposite the Iron Duke Hotel, where they celebrated Pride with two performances. The show, hosted by the legendary David Raven, was an eclectic mix of show songs (lots), comedy numbers (several), pop ballads (some) and even a brief stab at opera. We have our own theme song explaining who we are and what we do ('Actually', actually) and subjects treated include the indignities of air travel, Boy Scouts (celebrating their centenary), Arthurian Knights, American GI's and we concluded with a Cowboy extravaganza, hence the title of the show, WhipCrackAway!
Photos courtesy of RealBrighton.com
Thursday 21st June featured "Music for Churches"an evening of Waterloo Street musicians creating a live music event using the specific acoustic of the church .
Lee Westwood, Mary Hampton and Vole filled the church with atmospheric music - Contemporary lullabies for solo acoustic guitar from Lee. Mary performed timeless English lovesongs, and Vole improvised with innovative soundscapes.
Sunday 27th May saw the first of our Brass Rubbing Days. These are aimed at children and we hope they will become a regular feature.
We are delighted that St. Andrews was an official venue for events in the 2007 Brighton Fringe Festival.
Along with Tours of the Church, we hosted two successful events:
Alan Felton Tenor & Michael Chance Piano "Songs My Grandfathers Taught Me" "A meander through songs & stories of Two Victorian/Edwardian Singers/Entertainers"
photo by Bill Folkes
Decibelle is a 10 women a cappella group, plus guests, including "Cocktail Party".
photos by Toni Tye.
The Church officially re-opened on Easter Sunday, 8th April and welcomes you every Sunday from 2-4pm.
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A programme of celebrations for all the family was arranged in conjunction with the Iron Duke, and the Bedford Tavern, including an Easter Egg Hunt for children, and a Raffle.
The traditional Easter Bonnet Parade was a showcase for the ingenuity of the creators!
The Spotlight Players performed excepts from "Grease", and the final act was the amazing Brighton and Hove Actually Gay Men's Chorus.
The Mayor of Brighton and Hove, Councillor Dave Smith and his wife Pat are keen supporters of the Friends and he played an active part in the performances!
As usual, the day couldn't have happened without the help of the dedicated band of Friends. Easter photos by Toni Tye.