From the moment we stepped out of Sloane Square underground station and wandered along Sloane Street our moods were lifted by the shimmering twinkle of Christmas lights. A short walk took us to our venue, the spectacular Holy Trinity Sloane Square, where the warmth and beauty of the church eagerly enticed us inside from a chilly November evening.

On entering the church, the stunning great east stained-glass window stole our attention, eagerly drawing our guests down the nave towards the alter in anticipation of the musical programme ahead.

We were welcomed to the church by Father Michael Robinson who led our prayers for Valencia. Concert Director, scholarship alumni member Nicole Crespo, then took to the stage to welcome our audience and introduce the evening’s programme.

The concert programme was opened by 2023 scholarship winner, Laura Casas Cambra, marking her first appearance with a stunning performance of María Rodrigo’s La Copla Intrusa.

Next to the stage was Pablo Tejedor, also a scholarship alumni, who demonstrated his exceptional talent with both a solo performance of Francisco Supriano’s ‘Toccata a solo X’ and a performance with fellow cellist Nathan Giorgetti.

Before the interval mezzo-soprano Julia Merino, joined on piano with autumn concert regular Mark Kinkaid, filled every corner of the church with her captivating performance of songs from both Manuel de Falla’s ‘El Amor Brujo’ and Xavier Montsalvatge’s ‘Cinco Canciones Negras’.

We barely had time to pause and take a breath before flautist Daisy Noton, accompanied by Mark Kinkaid, took to the stage to open the second part of the programme with an atmospheric performance of Isacc Albéniz’s Suite Española – Aragón, Granada and Asturias.

Mezzo soprano Lola Valles, joined on piano by Luis-Miguel Valles, gave an emotive performance of Frank Wilburn’s ‘When I look at you’ from The Scarlet Pimpernel, and the duo’s performance of Joaquin Rodrigo’s Aranjuez seemed to create a warm Spanish breeze throughout the church.

As we neared the end of the programme guitarist Joan Furió Vivas skillfully gave us a brief introduction to Cataluña with a performance of Isaac Albéniz’s ‘Capricho Catalán’, and then took us quicly on to Aragón with Francisco Tárrega’s ‘Gran Jota Aragonesa’.

‘Amigos para siempre’, exquisitely sung by Julia Merino and Lola Valles, brought together all the programme’s amazing musicians, in a beautiful finale, closing our Autumn Concert perfectly, with many audience members taking to their feet to show their appreciation for what had been a magnificent display of musical talent from our scholars and friends.

With those beautifully sung words of friendship ringing in our ears our performers and audience assembled for one final song (fast becoming an autumn concert tradition), ‘Adeste Fideles’. With the sound of Christmas ringing in our ears, and our hearts warmed by the rousing performances we had just savoured we joined together to enjoy nibbles and drinks at our post- concert reception.

A huge thank you to all our musicians for their exceptional performances, expertly led by Concert Director Nicole Crespo, to our sponsors for the evening; The Spanish Embassy and Pérez Llorca, to Father Michael for leading our prayers for Valencia, and his staff for their un-ended support and welcome, to our supporters Covap for their ‘buena pinta’ jamón and expert carving, Hamish Johnston for the tantalising selection of cheeses, Broken Eggs for their delicious tortillas, and Codorníu and Mahou for their plentiful supply of cava, wines and beers. And a final thank you to all who made the evening a success, especially to our ever supportive members. It was a truly memorable evening, and we can’t wait to do it all again next year!