Saltdean can come up trumps from time to time and today it excelled itself with Andrew Ballantyne playing his amazing harp at St Nicholas Church.
I am not a church goer but everyone was welcome for this Diamond Jubilee Concert this evening. Andrew is a real star and his love of the harp is palpable. He is an exquisite performer no wonder he plays regularly at the Pavilion. He also loves telling his audience about his harp and why not, it is truly beautiful. Although it is only seven years old it from a Victorian Design, gilded in 23 carat gold, with 1000 mechanisms in it and 21 positions for the pedals at the bottom.
Andrew played a varied programme with several pieces associated with royalty including an Elizabethan piece called Robin, a piece by Jeremiah Clarke that is often played at weddings. The music at these concerts appeals to all tastes, we had ‘My love is like a red Red Rose’, ‘The Ash Grove’, ‘Danny Boy’, ‘Greensleeves’ and a compilation of tunes from ‘The Phantom of the Opera’. Several pieces were played as a duet with a very accomplished flutist, including Ava Maria and for the finale Satie’s Gymnopedie
This kind of event is very enterprising for a local church and thoroughly enjoyable.
Ann Perrin 
This concert sounds lovely Ann. I hope to get to more concerts in the area – we have a couple of spare tickets for a concert in Firle on 23rd – I don’t know if you would be interested. Friends from London were coming but now can’t. It is in the church at 6.00. proceeded by a cream tea. Haydn and Schubert are the main composers. It is part of the Lewes Chamber music festival. Let me know if you might be interested. Ruth x