Tonbridge Music Club 1962/63 – 2022/23

Celebrating 60 Years of ‘Top class concerts on your doorstep’

 

2022/23 was a special celebratory season for TMC. Season highlights included a spectacular performance by international superstar Alison Balsom and trailblazing organist Anna Lapwood in the magnificent chapel of Tonbridge School (photos here), as well as evening concerts by the legendary Nash Ensemble; one of Europe’s leading piano trios, the Busch Trio and the highly acclaimed Scottish guitarist Sean Shibe.

Our popular Sunday morning Coffee Concerts continued at Somerhill with piano duo Jong-Gyung Park and Anthony Zerpa-Falcón, Daniel Grimwood presenting a lecture recital on Henselt’s Piano Concerto and TMC Chair, Pat Gane, searching for the secrets of dance in keyboard music from across the centuries.

Back by popular demand, we welcomed the Ben Cox Band in December for another relaxed evening of great jazz classics, and violinist Elena Jauregui and cellist Rebecca Knight for the second of our Totally Toddler! concerts for Under 5s and their parents/carers.

As part of the celebrations we also enjoyed looking back and reflecting on the Club’s history and the musicians who have performed for Tonbridge Music Club over the last 60 years

 

 

Tonbridge in 1962 

In 1962, when TMC was formed, London Charing Cross was a small Kent terminus that offered services to Folkestone and Deal on the coast, Tunbridge Wells, Tonbridge, Sevenoaks and Staplehurst in the Weald of Kent, and also Chartham and Wye for the spectacular views of the North Downs. The average journey time between Edenbridge (Kent) and London was 1 hour 34 minutes. No wonder travelling to London to catch a concert or show was such an effort especially with only 2 trains per hour. 

1963/64 
    • Aeolian Quartet (string quartet)
    • Iris Loveridge (piano)
    • Well-Tempered Singers
    • Carol Sansom (cello) & Margaret Neville (soprano)
    • The Sylvan Trio (flute, cello & piano)
1964/65 
    • Antony Hopkins (piano)
    • Edinburgh String Quartet
    • Julian Bream (guitar)
    • Patsy Toh yi Lung (piano)
    • Dolmetsch Trio Recorders
1965/66 
    • Denis Matthews (piano)
    • Rae Woodland (soprano) & Duncan Robertson (tenor)
    • Jacqueline du Pré (cello) & Stephen Bishop (piano)
    • Diana Cummings (violin) & Fiona Cameron (piano)
    • Gervase de Peyer & Amici Quartet (clarinet & string quartet)
1966/67 
    • Douglas Craig
    • Amadeus String Quartet
    • Purcell Consort of Voices
    • Desmond Dupré (viola da gamba) & Alasdair Graham (piano)
    • Iris Loveridge (piano) & Evelyn Rothwell (oboe)
1967/68 
    • Stephen Bishop  
    • Philip Jones Brass Ensemble
    • Yehudi Menuhin School pupils
    • Jaye Consort of Viols
    • John Shirley-Quirk (bass-baritone), Marisa Robles (harp) & Martin Isepp (piano)
1968/69 
    • Gerald Moore (piano)
    • Camden Wind Quintet
    • Smetana String Quartet
    • Young Artists playing music by local living composers
    • Peter Katin (piano)
1969/70
    • Denis Matthews (piano)
    • The Early Music Consort with David Munrow (recorder/shawm), James Bowman (harpsichord) & Christopher Hogwood (conductor)
    • Manoug Parikian (violin) & Peter Croser (piano)
    • The Clifton Trio (string trio)
    • Janet Baker (mezzo soprano)
1970/71                   
    • Prague String Quartet
    • Purcell Consort of Voices
    • Shura Cherkassky (piano)
    • Narciso Yepes (guitar)
1971/72                   
    • Paul Tortelier (cello) & Maria de la Pau (piano)
    • Peter Katin (piano) 
    • Végh String Quartet
    • Barry Tuckwell Horn Trio (horn, violin, piano)
1972/73                   
    • William Bennett (flute) & George Malcolm (piano)
    • Arriaga Quartet & Cecil Aronowitz (viola)  
    • The Scholars (early music vocal ensemble)
    • Mazuko Uchida (violin) & Roger Vignoles (piano)
1973/74                   
    • Fou Ts’ong (piano)
    • Jennifer Partridge (piano) and Ian Partridge (tenor)
    • Beaux Arts Trio (violin, cello & piano)
    • Osian Ellis (harp)
1974/75                   
    • London Virtuosi
    • Cecil Aronowitz (viola) & Thea King (clarinet)
    • Peter Pears (tenor) & Osian Ellis (harp) 
    • Moray Welsh (cello) & Roger Vignoles (piano)
1975/76                   
    • Louis Halsey Singers
    • Antony Hopkins (composer & conductor)
    • Tel Aviv Quartet
    • Michael Roll (piano)
1976/77                   
    • Marisa Robles Trio (harp, flute, viola)
    • Philip Jones Brass Ensemble
    • Mazuko Uchida (violin) & Roger Vignoles (piano) 
    • James Blades (percussion)
    • Alberni Quartet (string quartet) & Moray Welsh (cello)
1977/78                  
    • Murray Perahia  (piano) 
    • Zephyr Ensemble (wind quintet)
    • Heinz Holliger (oboe) & Christina Ward (piano)
    • Chilingirian Quartet (string quartet)
1978/79  
    • Deller Consort (early music vocal ensemble)
    • Ian Partridge (tenor), Christopher Keyte (bass) & Jennifer Partridge (piano)
    • London Music Group
    • London Saxophone Quartet
    • Marius May (cello) & Christopher Osborn (piano)
1979/80                   
    • Delmé Quartet (string quartet
    • Jonathan Miller (opera director, actor, author)
    • Early Music Group of London
    • Helen Walker 
    • Tamas Vasary (piano)
1980/81                   
    • Nigel Kennedy (violin)
    • Benjamin Luxon (baritone)
    • William Bennett (flute) & Clifford Benson (piano)
    • Carlos Bonell (guitar)
    • Allegri Quartet (string quartet)
1981/82                   
    • Peter Frankl (piano), Gyorgy Pauk (violin) & Ralph Kirshbaum (cello)
    • Lynda Russell (soprano) 
    • Rachel Masters (harp)
    • John Lill (piano)
    • Light Blues
    • Gabrieli Quartet (string quartet

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