Read what our audiences and performers thought about previous Frinton Festivals

2024

2023

2022

2021

2020

2019

2018

2017

2016

2015

2014

Frinton Festival 2024 comments

What a fantastic festival. Thank you!

The concert was amazing!  Very professional, and as good as we could find anywhere.  Thank you and your team so much for a great evening.

Hello robert- BRAVO in every way. It was so lovely to work with you.

 Thank you for a truly exhilarating and brotherhood-affirming experience on Monday. I honestly can’t think of a concert where I have felt such engagement with the audience. What a fantastic experience it must have been for them, to virtually be inside Beethoven’s 9th! I think you absolutely captured the spirit of the piece, and your ideas about audience participation were inspired. There really felt like there was no barrier between orchestra, chorus, soloists and audience. It was a celebration of togetherness. Just brilliant! Congratulations on a massive organisational and musical feat. It was really one of the absolute highlights of my musical life. Thank you so much for having me!

Thank you it was magnificent.

Frinton was amazing, loved it A LOT. Thank you

Wonderful concert, Robert

Thank you for a wonderful Frinton Festival. We were able to attend the concert at All Saints before we left for London and came back in time to attend the concert at St Mary’s on Monday. Both lifted us to the sublime.  It was a privilege to be there.

We thought the concert this year was magnificent, just brilliant. Thank you so much for bringing them all to Frinton.

What an absolutely fabulous 4 days! Incredible variety, humour, skill and complexity - and as for the finale........!!!

Thank you all so much -we have really enjoyed it.

The whole Frinton experience was amazing. Your generous hospitality was lovely, your rendering of Beethoven 9 perfectly captured its bonkersness and your fixer managed supremely well. A perfect if rather poignant day.

Each concert was fabulous, I had seen the piano trio before, so I knew they would be good.  However, Massive Violins and the Beethoven symphony exceeded all my expectations.  It was like being in the Royal Festival Hall but close up! 

What a joyous end to the 10th anniversary Frinton Music Festival! We were almost dancing home on the exuberance of the occasion - lovely! The choral contribution was glorious. Fabulous voice of the baritone…You must be feeling really happy that every concert worked so well - and is pulling in a wider audience as well as more artists - younger as well as those established. The Massive Violins were a surprise (to me) and clearly a very popular concert. Such diversity of talent, a light touch and plenty of humour - we were ‘wowed’. Delightful to hear again Mathilde Milwidsky…together with the other young musicians you have mentored. And as always The Homestead concert is a big treat to hear The Barbican Trio’s accomplished playing in such a perfect setting. It was all terrific. Many congratulations to you, all the artists and the whole team for making it possible. (And not forgetting Mr Wheeler’s delicious wines.)

I just wanted to say how much I enjoyed both concerts we attended (Fri and Mon) at the Frinton Festival. A real contrast and a great triumph.

Both events were an amazing experience and it was a very successful weekend. A lot of local people came through the doors who don’t usually come.

We absolutely loved the concert. Robert conducted brilliantly, of course, and the orchestra was of the very highest standard. What a privilege to hear such fabulous music in such an intimate setting. To have the singers appearing out of the audience was such a clever move. An unforgettable evening! 

 A wonderful Festival this year. The best of them all!…I think many Frintonians are enjoying the increased cultural exposure!

I have had the best weekend of music ever. First Friday evening at All Saints then quite a different music experience on Sunday evening with the highly entertaining "Massive Violins", followed by the outstanding Beethoven 9. A truly wonderful 10th Anniversary Frinton Festival. Thanks to all of you who work so hard to bring something of this quality to Frinton.

Thank you for a wonderful concert last night. Two great pieces, of course, but magnificently directed by yourself.

That was incredible Robert. Felt very moved and privileged to be there.

Thank you so much though for all you have all ready done - it is very much appreciated. I thoroughly enjoyed the whole weekend of the Festival…

Thank you, thank you and thank you. My favourite symphony. It cleansed my soul. Please pass on my little party of four's gratitude and appreciation to all who strove so successfully to create and perform last night and although we did not attend the other performances, the week-end of music. A few drops of much needed rain in our cultural desert.

Just want to express my absolute joy with yesterday's performance of the above…This piece of music has been a big part of our life, it was without doubt [my husband’s] go to piece. We have several versions all by different conductors, for [him] it wasn't only the music but the interpretation, I know he would have been moved by yesterday's performance, so a big thank you to everyone…Also enjoying yesterday was our son…who shares [my husband’s] love of music. Music touches people's emotions, the sound created yesterday in St Mary's was beautiful. I hope you will extend my thanks to everyone.

I hope you had a restful night after such an incredible Beethoven Performance.  Congratulations to you on your extremely well timed and executed conducting. It was an honour to see your opening show and witness the Beethoven performance, with so much talent. Thank you so much for the opportunity to sing in your show as Soprano, it will be an event not to be forgotten.

Thanks so much for giving some of [the] lads from TMVC the opportunity to sing in such a wonderful work...we thoroughly enjoyed it…! Yes...I loved singing in the evensong as choice music was so varied...thanks to Duncan! I also loved the evening of The Massive Violins too...a great weekend.

It really was a fabulous day and the Beethoven was amazing! Well done you. I’ve been trying to explain to my non-musician friends the pleasure I got from listening to the bassoons and contra play those chords together at the beginning of the Oompah band bit. It was one of the most fantastic sounds I have ever heard! It brought to mind a wonderful splodge of thick dark purple oil paint. They all think I’m a bit odd...

We all had a lovely day in Frinton… I had too much fun belting out those high As :) 

I wanted to say thank you so much for inviting me to play at the last Frinton festival, I feel very honoured! It’s an amazing achievement to have done 10 years of the festival and I know how much hard work and love goes into putting it on…It is rare to play with such wonderful, thoughtful and caring musicians on such great music. I had such a fun time on stage and I wish that every concert I play has that amount of spontaneity, joy and genuine music-making. I feel very lucky to have been part of it…

Huge thanks and many congratulations for a splendid Festival 2024!  You gave us a wonderful selection of music over the weekend and we could not have had a more spectacular finale than the performance of Beethoven’s 9th.

We are so fortunate to have this wonderful festival on our doorstep in Frinton and [we] send our thanks and warmest wishes to you and all your marvellous team who work so hard and make every event so enjoyable.

A week on and the music is still ringing in my ears! It was an absolute honour to be part of this and such a profound and spiritual experience, and I say that as a Christian. I loved your interpretation - having the soloists and singers amongst the audience…the whole event felt inspired from above! Thank you too for your cheerful encouragement of the choir - you certainly brought out the best in us! 

It is so good to read these tributes to our performance last Monday. I wanted to write to you to tell you how much it had meant to me…for me, part of the joy was in sharing the passion you communicated to us about the meaning of the words and how Beethoven himself managed to communicate the message in the way he created the music. It was certainly one of the highlights of my very amateur singing life…Thank you again for making is possible to be so immersed in B9 and everything it means.

It was a joy to play under your baton and you engaged so wonderfully with the orchestra. It was indeed an exhilarating concert. The audience clearly loved it and I even saw a couple of tears shed at the end…and what a beautiful part of the world! It was my first but definitely not my last time to Frinton.

Fabulous Frinton Festival! Again a wonderful  achievement. The highlight for me was taking part in the Beethoven 9th symphony, the pinnacle of my Choral singing career, a performance I shall remember for the rest of my life.

It was such a brilliant experience to sing together, fabulous soloists and orchestra and you were so energising, a really memorable concert.  The atmosphere and occasion was really special. Our…singers from Harwich and Dovercourt choral that took part enjoyed it so much.  A real treat for us to sing with a large chorus…we had a brilliant time,  thank you so much!

It truly was a pleasure to have sung in Beethoven with the symphony orchestra, who were superb, and I hope you enjoyed conducting the event too. You certainly brought the energy, I’m always inspired by musical conductors by their skill in making an event so special, you certainly did. I am still singing it even now.

Thank you for providing such a wonderful festival last weekend. We are so lucky to have such music here in Frinton.

Thank you so much, Robert for inviting additional singers like myself to join your performance of B9. Like most people, I was familiar with the piece, but I had never actually sung it before, so it was a great experience and treat for me. It was also the fastest version that I have ever heard! Fantastic...your enabling attitude and support also encouraged everyone to really do their best! And we did.....

It is extraordinary!  I am still meeting people who are endlessly raving about this year's Festival. The B9 concert will become a Frinton legend!

It was such a huge pleasure to play this incredible repertoire with you and the whole group! Fauré quartet is a new favourite now. What a wonderful few days. Happy memories. Thank you again for all of your care and brilliance in making it all happen!

Thank you for a wonderful festival once again this year.

We really enjoyed this year’s concerts, particularly the variety of entertainment from the Massive Violins to Beethoven!

It was delightful to bring the children to your Great Holland Church concert. Very special for us. 

We're all delighted that the Festival went so well - again!  And many thanks to you for all your hard work. Beethoven's 9th was a wonderful achievement and experience.

We were delighted by the concerts we attended. The Choral was magnificent to watch and listen to.

 It was an amazing weekend once again and I thoroughly enjoyed helping out.

We had our AGM of the Clacton Choral Society last night.  B9 was mentioned as the highlight of the year.  Members were thrilled and inspired by the event.  It had such an impact.

Frinton Festival 2023 Comments

Many congratulations on the wonderful Dissonance concert – such a stimulating experience.  We loved all the compositions too.  You are all such creative artists and musicians. I wish we could have been to every concert, especially the Echo Ensemble – it’s our ambition to take the time off next year so we can be there for the whole festival.

Thank you very much for a really glorious Rococo. I arrived at the church in time to grab the last free seat in the front so I was able to see every note as well as hear. A very special concert to hear father and son performing together. Noah’s achievements are impressive indeed. His Radical Severance is so beautiful and the flautist was magnificent.

Many thanks to you and everyone else involved for another splendid Frinton Festival, [we] are already looking forward to the next one.

Thanks so much for such an enjoyable concert with your heartfelt Rococo Variations! We gave up saying hello afterwards when we saw you in the centre of a crowd, but [our daughter] would love to share her thoughts on the concert next time. She was excited to explain to us how Noah’s piece works.

Thank you for letting us know about the Frinton Festival. We had a lovely weekend – we very much enjoyed the music, the walks by the sea and the beautiful Voysey house all added to by the spectacular weather.

The silence of the audience…their respect for the music…the delicious canapés.

What a wonderful way to spend an afternoon! We so enjoyed listening to The Barbican Trio, with such beautiful music and amazing performances. You all play so sensitively together. You have such incredible rapport it’s as if you are an extension of each other…The Mendelssohn and Beethoven were just sublime. Well done to you all. I must admit that even if the music hadn’t transported us, sitting in the long room at Homestead was fabulous. What a great house, it’s so characterful and it certainly was built for entertaining - Voysey would have loved to have listened to your concert…

Thanks so much for inviting us…We had a wonderful time - such a warm, enthusiastic audience…

I do hope you now have time to relax and reflect on the great success of the very diverse and appealing concerts you organised. How marvellous that the younger Max members are providing such interesting collaborations. Dissonance programme particularly - challenging and witty! So exciting also to hear/see the widening group of musicians in Noah’s Ensemble - multi-talented and enthusiastic. So much to look out for so the 10th anniversary season will have to meet big expectations. My congratulations to all who made those four concerts so different and so memorable.

Last Sunday afternoon was a magical sail into so many musical pleasures of the past. Thank you so very much, a real treat. I hope there will be a next time very soon and I can’t wait.

It was lovely to have a chat at the concert on Monday. It was a great occasion; [we] really enjoyed ourselves. Your playing in the Tchaikovsky was astonishing and Noah is a very talented young man with a great future ahead of him. Exciting times!

Frinton feels empty today.  The Festival has moved on...After the end of last night's concert a lady came up to me and said “After this concert I am going to go home and pick up my bow again. I shall start playing the cello once more”. Wonderful to think the Festival can have such an impact.

Thank you so much for having me at Frinton Festival, I was delighted to take part.

I found the initial film and music a bit discordant but by the end it made sense and was rather beautiful. Similarly on Monday- very unexpected but I could sense the emotion and skill that went into the piece. The orchestra was exceptional… Thank you for all your hard work…

I would like to thank The Frinton Festival for a wonderful evening yesterday. My husband and I thoroughly enjoyed it. Please do share any future events.

I wanted to say a big thank-you to you all for making the Frinton Festival possible. I attended the Free Church concert with my daughter and some friends. It was most enjoyable and was medicine to the soul…I wanted to say how much I enjoyed your son's composition. What a clever chap! Not a short piece to write either. The players looked as though they enjoyed it too. All in all, the energy was incredible....I don't know how you do it! And it was lovely to go out with the memory of that energy....

Yours was [my friend’s granddaughter’s] first ever classical concert,  which is why I didn’t want to move her when she chose the front row…I’m sure it would have touched you as it did us to hear her bubbling over all the way home…thank you for the gift of your music…

Frinton Festival 2022 Comments

Before

As we have said many times before, it is a simply wonderful venture and a real highlight of the Frinton year! A local resident

You have arranged a wonderful programme of concerts and we are both looking forward to the Festival enormously! A local resident

I fully support and believe in what you are doing with the festival and helping to raise awareness of the importance of music in Frinton. A local resident

After

I’m not sure if I can pin point the ‘exact’ reason why there were so many damp eyes around me at the end of the concert on Thursday night but believe me there were – including [ours].

Was it because we were all able to all crowd in and enjoy the occasion without masks and social distancing?

Was it because some of the music made us think of the difficult times we’ve all been through and some, in Ukraine for example are still going through?

Was it because Frinton had its own Festival Orchestra with the finest musicians we could see anywhere?

Was it the young musicians, given the chance they’ll never forget of joining the great orchestra and being given musical inspiration that should last a lifetime?

I’m not really sure, but I think my own damp eyes were due to all these things but mostly the power of the music that can only come from superb musicians such as those you assembled.

I would hazard a guess that Frinton has NEVER had such great music within its gates as that night. Seriously.

So thank you. For every year and all the music. A local resident

I hope the rest of Frinton Festival went as well as the first half that I was really glad to experience!...Thank you for such a lovely few days in Frinton, it really was a great experience both artistically and personally. Such a treat to get to perform with my amazing colleagues in a completely unique venue and to manage to fit in a swim in the sea as well. Thank you for the wonderful hospitality…A festival musician

I must just congratulate Noah on his ‘Babel’ at the Naze Tower. Such an affecting piece…where else would you experience that? The composition was perfect for the Tower and vice versa and to be just feet away from each musician, hearing the music wafting up and down the staircase – well, it was magical. A local resident

Thank you so much - a wonderful Festival as always! [My sister] was bubbling with excitement all the way back on the train. A festival musician

Very many thanks for a superb festival - again! Brilliant performances and some new introductions to whet our sound appetites for the future! A local resident

Thank you, Robert, for a wonderful day in Frinton - both musically and socially. A festival musician

It was a delight to bring the children and friends to the Free Church concert on Thursday. We all had a great evening… The children had a great time at the concert. Glued to their seats with eyes and ears fixed! A local resident

It has been such a pleasure to be a part of the festival and I very much hope the rest of the week went smoothly. A festival musician

Congratulations on a brilliant concert and thanks for the party – hope it went on too long! A festival musician

Dear Sir, what a super day, with luverly playing, and conduCting! Well done, and thank YOU. Hope we can play 2gether again soon. What fun, and beautiful feelings in the band. A festival musician

What a wonderful event tonight Robert - thank you so much! A local resident

Just a quick note to say a big bravo for terrific and musical conducting today - a great concert! A festival musician

Yes it was an outstanding performance really glad we came well done it’s also a great way for you to get a workout!! A local resident

Thank you very much for involving me in the wonderful concert. I enjoyed it very much. A festival musician

Boy - You are a tour de force! You were magnificent both musically and socially. I can’t imagine how hard you worked to put everything in place AND be the maestro.. Really wonderful day and a delight for me to be part of it.  Yes - MASSES happened. All positive and so very generous in spirit. We all need more of this. A festival musician

Hurrah…I really enjoyed the concert. And bravo for getting the kids involved. A festival musician

… I really enjoyed Noah’s work, and think it was a wonderful way to use the Naze Tower…congratulations on the festival, and sorry not to have been at every concert. A local resident

Huge congratulations on a fantastic festival. It was a huge success and a wonderful variety to satisfy most if not all appetites! You worked incredibly hard for it and I'm so glad that it all came together so well…I'm looking forward to 2023 already. In the meantime bask in the glory....! A local resident

Thank you for another fabulous weekend of musical nourishment…Frinton and…the Festival are very special and those that participate (perform, watch, drink nice wine…) all seem to agree. I’m certainly pleased that you are planning the 10th festival. Many thanks, and BRAVO of course!! A festival musician

…Thank you for such an incredible few days! We had a bit of a moment at the train station on the way back when [my colleague] asked me if I was feeling OK and I just had to reply that I was really very happy…It's so rare to get to play such artistically satisfying music with lovely people in an amazing venue…A festival musician

I attended two magnificent concerts within your festival and am so grateful I was there.  You must be very proud of your festival. A festival visitor

Another excellent Festival. A festival visitor 

The concert was a shining example of the excellence that can be achieved when fantastic musicians and great organisation work together. Priceless and thank you! A festival musician

…it was a pleasure to put on the event, everyone really seemed to enjoy it and I certainly did. I think it was a really special performance. Well done to you all and especially Noah and Echo Ensemble for their creativity. Hopefully we might be able to work on something again in the future. Manager of a local venue

Great gig and great photos. A festival musician

Thank you very much once again for your kind invitation to visit the Naze Tower for the orchestral rendition at the end of last half term. The children all had a fabulous time and commented how much they enjoyed the experience. Frinton Primary School

It was a splendid and thoroughly enjoyable concert. A festival musician

The students were all so appreciative of the opportunity to play and I have also had many comments from parents and the children themselves about how much they enjoyed taking part…So amazing to get the life back into the music for real and have the audiences there to play to. I think that Frinton and Tendring are blessed to have such a brilliant festival on our doorstep. A locally based music teacher

Thank you again for the most memorable concert in a long time!! A festival musician

A very belated (July already!) thank you for another spectacular Frinton Festival.  You and your fellow musicians gave us a wonderful mix of music and it was a real privilege to be able to attend world class concerts right on our doorstep.Huge thanks also to your front of house team who gave us such a warm welcome and ensured that everything ran smoothly. A local resident

Frinton Festival 2021 comments

Before 

We shall look forward to this.  If it is as good and as well organised as last year, it will be wonderful.

I'm very pleased to look forward to hearing some live music once again.

We wish you every success with this key, local, cultural event. The opportunities to enjoy live, high quality concerts locally are few and far between.

So lovely to see that the festival is able to go ahead this year!

It will be wonderful to see the Barbican Trio again and to immerse myself in ‘live’ music.

I can only imagine the general excitement at the prospect of live, quality music.

During

The Festival had a brilliant start this evening… Comments I heard included “vibrance and such energy” and “beautifully decorated hall, the touches with the flowers and green around the columns…”

We drove back…chattering all the way because you’d made us so happy and alive.  I know the Mendelssohn and was moved yet again by the beauty and subtlety of your playing. What a great treat.

WONDERFUL concert!

After

A wonderful weekend of musical offerings, sad that it is over so soon, but much appreciated by all. 

Whether it was due to the long break we've had from live music or not, this year's was the best I remember: such a variety, and I love being introduced to new (to me) works and composers, as well as hearing some old favourites.

Thank you very much for a great few days of wonderful music.

It was really good to see – and hear you – over the weekend in Frinton. A most enjoyable festival, despite the restrictions. I hope that, by next May, things will have improved very considerably.

Thanks for a splendid weekend of music and sociability. What a treat! And particular thanks for humouring my obsession with 'The Farmstead'.

Thanks again for some lovely music - what a joy to hear live music again!

WONDERFUL concert!

 …thank you and your fellow musicians for a wonderful set of concerts. It was such a joy to see and hear live music and the programmes you chose were a perfect mix of old favourites and (for us) new discoveries. Organising an event such as this must take a huge amount of time and hard work and we are enormously grateful to you and your fantastic team who ensured everything ran smoothly and gave us such a warm welcome.  A nod also to the Tennis Club for their hospitality and for the excellent food and drink. Looking forward to 2022 already!

From our muscians

A lovely weekend....well done…

Thank you so much for having us to play!!! It was such a brilliant day. It’s really affirmed to me why I’m doing this and how much I love performing... was sometimes difficult this year to remember what it’s all for....I feel so invigorated!

Thank you for a wonderful weekend of music making. Enjoyed it all so much. Including all of the practising beforehand by myself!

…bravo for putting on these concerts - I am full of admiration and awe. Fantastic!

Thoroughly enjoyable day Robert thanks so much…just a lovely thing to be a part of to be completely honest. Lovely people, lovely playing, lovely place, perfect host, great photos too!

Just wanted to say how much I enjoyed coming to Frinton. It was so refreshing to make music like that and play to people who obviously really appreciated it. But also just the whole day and spending time with you all. After this last year it really felt very meaningful to me. So thanks for having me!

Frinton Festival 2020 comments

When the programme was announced:

I was delighted to receive your email announcing the three Frinton concerts. Many congratulations on organising such splendid events under the current circumstances.

Wow! Well done Rob.

The programme for Frinton looks amazing Robert - very, very best of luck.  It’s so brilliant that you’re organising live concerts, I imagine the need for them has never been greater.

Thank you again for putting into place what was totally missing from my own childhood in Frinton.

Congrats, well done at managing to have real concerts. Good luck to you all.

We are extremely sorry to inform you that we won't be able to travel to England for the Festival... We feel very sad about the 3 amazing concerts you managed to organize despite the situation.

After the concerts:

Well done...Last night we enjoyed an exhilarating concert. To top it all you made all the arrangements seem so effortless. I know that's not the case because you have worked so hard to make it happen. Thorough planning leads to success.  You have proved this. Congratulations!

Please pass on my most grateful thanks for a wonderful recital last night. In the current climate there has been very little joy and to be able to listen and experience such a glorious piece live in an intimate situation was fantastic. Please thank all the team and my thanks to Robert especially for his vision in getting this underway.

Thank you so much for arranging and inviting us to last night’s transformative concert. We will never forget the experience... We are full of admiration for the single-minded determination, stamina, hard work and inspiration it must have taken to resurrect the festival this autumn.

It’s a wonderful thing you’re doing, bringing the arts to us!

Congrats on a great festival.

May I pay you a tribute for your determination not to let 2020 pass without the Frinton Festival? Such strength of purpose and determination to bring live music to Frinton and succeeding in the teeth of Tier 2 restrictions...Congratulations again on achieving the almost impossible with a fabulous festival and with such immaculate timing!

Well done to all concerned for getting the Festival going, and I look forward to future events, whether socially distanced or preferably not as matters improve.

First class concert. Really fantastic. Bravo to you and your fellow musicians!

Robert - There are few concerts I’ll remember always.  Your Bach suites and Sunday’s Schubert are in that musical wardrobe.  The first for your beautiful, beautiful playing and Sunday’s for the sheer joy...I have an enormous smile still.  Thank you for making today happen...Schubert would have loved it.

It really was a joy. Such a huge treat to be in the audience tonight.

A wonderful afternoon of sublime music. I feel privileged to have been there.

Thank you so much for organising such a wonderful Schubert weekend and please thank everyone involved - the musicians and the very efficient admin.

Just had to say what a treat the concert was on Sunday. I so enjoyed it and an added bonus was being able to see the musicians so clearly! Thank you to all for the time and skill involved.

The Festival is part of the feel-good factor of living in Frinton-on-Sea. You have made it happen. Your determination to see it through this year was admirable. The Festival music with its different moods and the way you musicians spoke to us about the process have been such a fillip to us here. A friend of ours called it a 'treat in the desert'.

We had two wonderful evenings at the festival this year and likewise at our first time to the festival last year......how I’d not known about this event before that, I don’t know!

It was so wonderful that you managed to get the Festival on. The Smetana was especially heart wrenching with the howling wind blowing through the doors! It really was superb.

...and from our musicians:

Just wanted to say a big thank you again for yesterday. It was such a joy to see you and play with you again, come back to the festival and be part of such a great team. Huge congratulations for heroically putting it all together in these really uncertain times too! It was a really special one.

Thank you @FestivalFrinton for inviting us to perform and it was an immense pleasure to make music with such great artists. Hope to see you all again very soon for another musical adventure

Just wanted to thank you for a lovely welcome back Chamber date to the profession. I thoroughly enjoyed and appreciated the wonderful musicianship and awareness amongst us. Will be high on this evening for a few days to come. Well done everyone an absolute pleasure!

This is pure happiness; playing the masterpiece that is the Schubert Octet with amazing musicians, to a socially distanced live audience (finally)! Thank you Frinton Festival for organising and proving so excellently that IT IS possible!! We need more of these kinds of live concerts of chamber music to be happening here in the UK!

What impeccable timing that we managed to squeeze this in before the second national lockdown! Thank you so much for inviting me to play at Frinton, I was so honoured and happy to play amazing music, alongside great musicians...Hopefully we will make music again together soon!

Now that I’m back home and thinking about Sunday, I wanted to say thank you so much for organising the Schubert extravaganza. The whole event was particularly memorable in this tricky moment in history, but I suspect that it would have been very enjoyable at any time. You managed to assemble a lovely bunch of musicians, all keen to enjoy themselves and to convey that pleasure to the audience. The organisation was so smooth...I’m particularly aware of how much is involved in putting together such events.

A very belated Thank You for a splendid day in Frinton. I enjoyed the Schubert enormously, you had put together a splendid team...

It’s so amazing for us (as you must know, being a performer yourself) to perform to live audiences in these times. And you made it possible...

Frinton Festival 2019 comments

Thank you so very much for sponsoring the Barbican Piano Trio to perform an amazing concert for the pupils of our primary school. We experienced a fantastic concert hour of top quality and fully interactive chamber music. Robert, Sophie and James were fantastic with the children and everyone was amazed at the variety of music they played.

The Family Concert this evening was superb...some very talented young people out there!

We felt that we had been privileged to watch something rather special last night and it all took place in an ordinary parish church four doors away from where we live...last night, we were inspired by your Bach cello recital...my word, wasn't that monumental effort worth it!

That was a brilliant weekend Robert. Thank you.

Thanks again for a truly inspiring series of concerts! I enjoyed each one so dearly and feel refreshed now in my music making life.

This is just a line to say how much we enjoyed this year's Frinton Festival!  We attended all the concerts and, though we go to many concerts in London, we felt so privileged to enjoy the wonderful music at the Festival in such close and intimate surroundings ... it somehow makes it even more special!  The organisation is perfect and everyone we spoke to said how "special" the event is. Thank you so much for bringing such richness to Frinton!

Thank you for another weekend of wonderful music. The energy and enthusiasm maintained throughout last night's concert kept me smiling all evening. Altogether another great Frinton Festival. Here's to next year.

Well done. ABSOLUTELY AMAZING. Especially the Beethoven.

What a fantastic atmosphere, like a Festival Fiesta.  Everyone was enjoying themselves whilst absorbing the well chosen music. The fact there was hardly any distance between the performers and audience added something very special. Three cheers for the Frinton Festival!

Thank you for last night’s music. One of my top experiences. Brilliant.

I just wanted to say once again quite how inspiring this weekend was. We loved every moment...it was simply thrilling and it was lovely to be around everyone...simply inspiring and moving. Thank you!

Bravo - for your stunning performance on Friday and for organising such a successful festival - the sixth...it continues to be a pleasure to be two of your groupies, following players with such togetherness.

Thank you so much for another superb concert this afternoon, Noah’s new work was outstanding.

This year’s Festival was outstanding in every way. The choice of programs, the artists themselves and the behind the scenes organisation...I hope you will use your quite remarkable talents to continue to develop and grow the Festival so that you can further your aim of bringing quality music for young and old to this corner of our island...I look forward to hearing what you are planning for next year!

WOW!! Thank you for a wonderful evening of Bach's music. I have never heard all six suites played at one sitting. Your performance was extremely moving, most inspiring and technically brilliant. I loved your interpretations of each suite and enjoyed the whole performance.

Massive congratulations!

That was a brilliant weekend Robert. Thank you.

We loved the concert it was brilliant the quality of sound and music was amazing and so lovely to have it all in Frinton.

Last night was truly magic, a remarkable performance by all, one we did not want to end. Robert has given us all so much pleasure, and the combination of the best Orchestra and those young talented musicians made us shed several tears!

The festival was absolutely wonderful, with the perfect amount of music and just the right amount of free time between concerts. (My boyfriend) especially appreciated the programming of music that, in his words, he could understand!

Congratulations on another brilliant Frinton Festival. The 6 Suites were a triumph that hopefully you have just about recovered from by now and the Family Concert was staggeringly good. You know, you really have created something wonderful here...

Thank you for doing the concert – it was just amazing and brilliant, and to see those children performing alongside with the orchestra is a thing I don’t think they will ever forget...magic.

It was a real pleasure working with you, the orchestra and Prokofiev. What a truly great piece and a great evening. You did a wonderful job over the four days and I was really proud to be part, in a small way, of those events.

Thank you for that amazing concert in Frinton. The Beethoven was stunning, so rhythmically alive but taut and the tempo of the second movement made complete...and I’ve never heard such a subtle Peter. Such a silky cat. Or noticed how Russian that hunter procession tune is.

We both enjoyed the lecture about cells and Bach very much - it was well presented and very interesting.

Many thanks for arranging for us to come to Frinton, for the splendid concert and the generous hospitality, in such a lovely setting.

Concerts like that are the reason I'm still a performing musician.

As you know we are only too happy that you choose All Saints as one of your venues and I know that the people at All Saints enjoy their involvement. Thank you, and thank you for the Frinton Festival.

We enjoyed the concerts we came to so much. I was going to pick a highlight, but that would be impossible!

Frinton Festival 2018 comments

We are very much looking forward to your concerts...the start of the Frinton Summer.

Wonderful! Frinton Festival is here again!

I had a great time! Was a lot of fun!

Please thank all of your colleagues for a magnificent evening. Bach was a revelation for me. Death and the Maiden was relentlessly engaging and powerful. Thank you so much. Yours is pretty well the only regular chamber music I hear live each year and I really relish the sophistication, the technical accomplishment and the emotional power of your work.

Thank you very much, as well as everyone else who came, for bringing Frinton another wonderful weekend of music.  It gave us so much pleasure.

I had a wonderful weekend at so many levels. The music was amazing...the church and especially The Homestead were stunning and everyone was so kind and welcoming to us strangers who didn't know anyone. I was so happy to be there, to meet all these lovely people...Congratulations for the perfect organisation...merci du fond du cœur...It really was a beautiful weekend.

Thank you for another amazing Frinton Festival.....I attended Friday’s performance and the evening at Great Holland church...very uplifting.

Excellent Festival. Thoroughly enjoyed all that I went to. Well done to you and the team.

Fantastic weekend, lovely music, food and company. How you manage to cater as well as organise everything else is beyond me...Definitely one of my favourite weekends of the year. Look forward to the next one.

Huge fun had by all last night at the Massive Violins!

Thank you so much again for that amazing Frinton Festival. I hasten to add too my thanks to all those who supported and helped you to bring this all about. ...So much planning, organising, doing and practising goes into the Festival, we all know and appreciate, and the more we enjoy it, the faster it goes.

Just wanted to let you know I have heard so many positive reports about the Festival.  It seems to grow from strength to strength.

...above all I want to congratulate you on a wonderful evening on Monday. Great fun and totally not what I was expecting. I thoroughly enjoyed myself and look forward to next year.

Thank you for staging such a wonderful weekend in Frinton. For all the hard work which you do to ensure that all details are covered. It is a tribute to you that everything is so enjoyable as well as giving all a chance to hear the Barbican Piano Trio and friends. We are glad that all concerts were well supported, by loyal supporters and newcomers as well...

Thank you all for a truly magical weekend of superb music: from the delightful surprise on Friday afternoon through to the gleeful performance on Monday evening. I feel blessed to have been able to experience a festival of the highest calibre. Roll on 2019.

Thank you to you and everybody else involved in the Frinton festival. We enjoyed it very much both of us and we are determined to come back next year.

Congratulations on another very successful Frinton Festival.

Just a short note to say how privileged we felt at All Saints, that you should use the church for one of your concerts.

Well done, the Festival was a great success...I went to the Evensong which I thought was quite wonderful...congratulations, I know all these things are a lot of work. Thank you again on behalf of everyone & myself.

Congratulations on another very successful Frinton Festival.

Thank you for your card. But it is we who should be thanking you for creating and maintaining the Frinton Festival. Thank you for staging such a wonderful weekend in Frinton. For all the hard work which you do to ensure that all details are covered. It is a tribute to you that everything is so enjoyable as well as giving all a chance to hear the Barbican Piano Trio and friends. We are glad that all concerts were well supported, by loyal supporters and newcomers as well we hope.

Frinton Festival 2017 comments

We have just arrived home and felt I had to write to thank and congratulate you on such a wonderful feat of organisation. The concert last night was a truly wonderful event which will linger long in the memory.

Attending the awesome Frinton Festival again this year was such a joy. You have created a really special four day event of superb music/concerts/food/conviviality/friendship. It is very special and I do hope you achieve your aim of getting more along to it — especially those who might for the first time attend any one of the concerts on offer.

Still slightly reeling from that revelatory performance of the (Mozart) C major quintet.

We had excellent feedback from our residents (and staff!) about your performance so thank you very much.  We are grateful to you for including us in your Festival. Read House

We came to the concert at the Tennis Club last night and we had a great time. Hopefully next year we may be able to come to more.

Congratulations on your opening concert last night. It went very well and you must be very proud of Noah.

Thank you for a most entertaining concert in the Parish Church.

Wonderful weekend of music, food and wine. Thank you and well done.

Congrats again on the Frinton festival.

Great concert. Noah's trio beautiful. Sure we will hear much more from him.

Many congrats for the weekend...first class!

We thoroughly enjoyed the concerts. As ever, it is such a privilege to hear the Barbican Piano Trio play, and your obvious pleasure in playing Dvorak at Great Holland church was plain for all to see. The Festival ended on a joyous note at the Frinton tennis club giving a wonderful finish to the weekend for all involved.

Please may we have another next year?

It has been such a joy to be at The Frinton Festival and listen to all the wonderful concerts. What an amazing event you all pull together.

The Frinton Festival is a very special event filled with so many wonderful concerts to enjoy along with friendship, kindness and generosity from you all. How lucky it was that there was such good weather to enjoy too. Let it be that more get to know about this wonderful Festival and all that it has to be enjoyed.

Thank you for a wonderful four days of wonderful music to enjoy. We loved hearing you all and also Noah’s and Hugo’s compositions too and to talking with them as well.

I am sitting in the sun in Spain thinking about our wonderful festival. Robert I just want to thank you so much for all your hard work organising the festival. You have done a fantastic job and as far as I know everyone thoroughly enjoyed it. Thank everyone for all their efforts and we all look forward to next year.

Really enjoyed it, well organised!

Thank you for a wonderful concert at All Saints.

Excellent festival all round.

Thank you so much for a brilliant musical weekend. I managed to get tickets for the Homestead concert for the first time this year and whilst I loved the other concerts and singing in the choir the intimate setting was fabulous. These concerts seem to set up summer in Frinton.

Frinton Festival 2016 comments

The Frinton Festival has enriched my life.

"Across the fields" was outstanding.....lovely to hear talented and young musicians in such special setting.

The Family Concert was a triumph.

The Family Concert last night... a host of young, superb musicians with a lively and entertaining programme that everyone was uplifted by. The children from the three schools were so well cared for and encouraged by your team...it was great to see them contributing to such a professional event.

Saturday afternoon was a great occasion and to think we nearly missed it. We met lots of people. Some local, some from North Essex and some from further afield. Some staying with relatives, some with friends and some elsewhere.

Wanted to tell you how impressed I am with the scale of the Frinton Festival. It's such a feat of logistics...Wonderful concert yesterday at St Marys. So many instruments. Really special. Have downloaded “Carnival of Animals” for the car. Would happily download “Riddle me this” if it were available.  An incredible success.

We thought the festival was brilliant, especially the second concert at The Homestead, which was very moving. We do appreciate all the hard work you put into it - the planning, the programmes, the musicians...

“Isn’t there a lovely atmosphere here?” (overheard at the “Homestead”)

What a successful concert series it must have been, judging from what we heard prior to Sunday.  (My sister) had no idea that cellos could do so much or sound so good together, I told her that many of them can’t and don’t! Everyone in the family really enjoyed the concerts on Sunday.  What a terrific programme for the final concert...

I attended the last concert and thoroughly enjoyed it.

Just wanted to let you know how much we enjoyed all the events we were able to go to.  They were fantastic and such a treat. The programming and the way you involved so many parts of the community was inspirational. I met several people who said they had never been to a concert before.

Thank you for all the good music at Frinton this year, it was a very rich and enjoyable festival,
and also so good to have had a few days by the sea...All in all it was such a staggering amount of repertoire presented in only a few days - and also so much new and good music.

Thank you very much for a wonderful weekend of music in and around Frinton and all the hard work you put in to making everything go so smoothly and successfully. There have been so many encouraging comments made and even the sun shone.

I really find it difficult to thank you enough for all that you have done to deliver another excellent Festival to Frinton and the area last weekend. There were so many highlights to remember. It is equally difficult to measure the success which this will bring to so many performers, including particularly Frinton and London school children, and of course, some very grateful and impressed audiences in Frinton and Great Holland.

Congratulations on an outstanding Festival. Fantastic!

Many thanks and congratulations to all on a fantastic weekend of music!

I attended four concerts and all were amazing, professional and so much talent and great wine.

from Frinton Festival helpers:

Thoroughly enjoyed the day & being part of the Frinton Festival and hope we can help again next year.

I have enjoyed being able to make a small contribution to the 2016 Festival and would be happy to be involved again. I hope that the Festival was successful overall...

about the free printed programmes:

You've attended to every detail from thanking so many for their contributions to the events, to giving insight into works performed. It comes across as an expression of the heart within; personal, friendly, informative, and engaging.

from a Frinton Festival sponsor:

Thank you for all you and your family are doing for Frinton

some 2016 Frinton Festival musicians wrote:

THANK YOU for inviting me to join you all today. I had such a brilliant time and am only wishing I could have stayed longer! What a stunning evening it's turned into...All the very best for the remainder of the festival tomorrow - I have no doubt it will continue to be an enriching and joyful experience for all involved.

Thanks for gig, really enjoyed it. Lovely house!

Was a huge pleasure to take part as always!!

I wanted to congratulate you on a terrific achievement at the weekend. You have certainly worked your "magic" again and there were a real "buzz"  and so many smiling faces, both young and old (and middle aged, too!) and a number of people spontaneously came up to me and said how lucky they felt to have a festival in Frinton and how happy they were to be there. Never did I possibly imagine that Carnival of the Animals would give me a lump in my throat, but it did just that, seeing everyone having so much fun and especially having those lovely poems, so beautifully read, interwoven with the music.

It was great to be involved in such a fantastic concert, and I have received some very positive comments from some of the children's parents, plus lots from the children themselves! Thank you for inviting us to take part!

(Frinton Primary School)

Frinton Festival 2015 Comments

That was FANTASTIC last night! You MUST get them back next year! I hope tonight goes well.

We had the best of all times last night

Last night was brilliant. We went to see Eric Clapton two weeks ago and this was just so much better!

Well done on another excellent Festival. I particularly enjoyed the Afanassiev – it was like having live ‘surround sound’!

Wonderful performance at the tennis club last night. It was a real treat to be there.

Thank you very much for giving us a wonderful weekend of music and the pleasure of enjoying a varied programme of concerts played by outstanding musicians.

Many thanks again for another wonderful Festival evening at Frinton Parish Church.

The concert last night was simply superb…thank you for an enthralling evening of music and song. I so much enjoyed, too, the supper party you kindly invited me to afterwards…a splendid ending to a perfect evening.

Just want to say a HUGE thank you for asking me to play at Frinton. It's always brilliant to play with you, the rehearsals were fun and it was such a pleasure performing it all :) Thank you!!

Thank you so much again for asking me to perform with you, it was amazing.

I hope you've had a few days to recover from the weekend.  I cannot express enough how much Kat and I enjoyed it.  Fantastic!

Although tired no doubt after such a marathon, I hope you are as pleased as we are.  It has been a great weekend of beautiful music.

I managed to buy tickets to two events and I thoroughly enjoyed them both, many thanks.

Many thanks for another very successful Frinton festival of excellent music

Just to say how much I enjoyed the Choral and Ensembles Spectacular on Saturday evening

I have been inspired!  The concert on Saturday was superb.  Singing Captain Noah with the Coastal Singers was the icing on the cake - and what icing!  I thought Saturday was going to be the highlight of my week, but last night I discovered the Massive Violins.  Absolutely brilliant in every way. 

We very much enjoyed the concerts, thank you very much, a great pleasure... We were saying we didn't know how you manage having so many things on at once (besides removals) and look so relaxed!

From a workshop participant: “I have been inspired!  The concert on Saturday was superb.  Singing Captain Noah with the Coastal Singers was the icing on the cake - and what icing!  I thought Saturday was going to be the highlight of my week, but last night I discovered the Massive Violins.  Absolutely brilliant in every way.”

 Just want to say a HUGE thank you for asking me to play at Frinton. It's always brilliant to play with you, the rehearsals were fun and it was such a pleasure performing it all.

We attended two of your concerts, one at The Homestead, the other at Old church and would like to say how much we enjoyed and appreciated having such wonderful events on our doorstep.

The gig went wonderfully well, I thought, with a fabulous contribution from Robert.

I just wanted to say how much Martin and I enjoyed the two concerts we went to at Frinton festival.  The Massive violins concert was great and we laughed so much.  Your rendition of 'Under the Sea' was brilliant!  The concert on Tue night was fantastic and it was amazing to hear the double quartet. 

I am still on a high after being at the fabulous Frinton Festival! I had such a terrific time enjoying every concert and the convivial spirit within the festival itself. The wonderful music, the people, the location and the atmosphere combine to make a truly special event and I am so glad I could be there for the duration, and get a real feeling of it all. The amount of work involved in making every bit of it happen is huge, and the attention to detail very noticeable.

Very pleased to help you as it is great to see the concert in All Saints. ...Thank you again for a wonderful evening.

This was a thoroughly enjoyable evening. The band was hugely talented and the eclectic programme mix full of joy and surprises. Hope you'll be back next year!

I do deeply congratulate you on a magnificent achievement with the Frinton Festival.  As someone who has had experience of how very difficult it is to gather audiences,  I can say how really wonderful it is that you have such a following by only the second year.  I loved both the concerts I attended

and I am so very glad I came.  It was a very special treat to be invited to your parents magnificent house of course, that was so generous of them.

I had such a great time and it was wonderful to play with you again.

What a good evening. Such good fun and expertise.

Frinton Festival 2014 Comments

We were so lucky to have such a treat within walking distance. Please try to repeat the Festival next year

It was four days of complete bliss, the four different environments each adding its own ambiance and sound to the music. Superb...I only hope that this is the start of an annual event which would be something to look forward to every year.

It was a huge success and we hope it can be repeated. Just what Frinton needed!

It was a sublime privilege to attend the Great Holland concert. Probably one of the best concerts I have been to.

I thoroughly enjoyed the concert, and hope very much that the Festival goes from strength to strength.

Just to say how wonderful it was to attend the Festival and how fortunate we were to be able to come to all the performances and listen to inspiring music played by such accomplished musicians.

What a FANTASTIC festival you put on. Fabulous music, ideas, organisation, lighting, food, audiences...the list is endless. We had such a great time being a part of it.

A wonderful success and well done for organising such a brilliant festival.

Thank you and all the other performers for a simply superb 4 days of music-making at the inaugural Frinton Festival. Its success should make you all feel very proud. The unique ambience and acoustic of each of the four venues added to the frisson and excitement provided by the quality of the performances; and this was in addition to the opportunity to get to know the music and personality of Sergei Taneyev, a composer I didn't know. I hope that this will be the start of an annual event which will be something to look forward to each year.

(My friend) went to the Schubertiade in Austria last year, where she listened to the same Schubert string quintet and her spontaneous response last night was "This must be the best rendition of this piece I have ever experienced!"

Can I say how much we enjoyed the concert Thursday evening? We can listen to and appreciate the music, but to actually see it being played with such feeling and enthusiasm adds a whole new dimension.

We had a wonderful time at the concert...thank you all very much indeed for such an outstanding contribution to furthering the Arts in Frinton, Great Holland and the area. I believe that this will be a giant step in bringing status to what is clearly developing in this district. I know that we shall all look forward to the next ‘instalment’ of this superb enhancement to our lives here.

We particularly enjoyed the Taneyev Quintet, it was stunning, overwhelming and all absorbing.  I have listened to some CD’s but they are no comparison to having been there.

Long may the Frinton Festival go on and from strength to strength.

It has been such a privilege to meet you and witness your music.  I am also left very impressed with the way you have put it all together in every respect...May you be truly blessed for the pleasure and enjoyment you give to so many through your amazing gift of music. If we can be of any help in the future you will have my support.

1000 Bravos for your festival! Thought you got it all so right. Amazing to do serious programmes - of course that's what the audiences want.

We thoroughly enjoyed last night! What a tremendous start. Lovely atmosphere. Amazing music!

Wanted to write and say CONGRATULATIONS on creating such a wonderful festival! It was just very inspiring to be in the midst of such enthusiasm from her/musicians/your parents/audience members. I think you've started something....

Thank you and your fellow musicians and everyone involved for a wonderful music festival weekend! The programmes, the playing, the venues, and the talk were really super. Above all it was absolute luxury to have two programmes in which everything, new and much loved pieces all were so enjoyable. On both concerts the music and the playing was able to keep one's attention to the maximum full-time (hanging on every note and phrase and response), really wonderful.

...well done indeed on a fantastic Frinton Festival! We thoroughly enjoyed all 3 concerts. Also well done on introducing us all to Taneyev. I particularly enjoyed the Taneyev at St. Mary’s and All Saints. It was like classical rock music (cringe) and I absolutely loved it, head banging stuff!

...everything went so well - it was a great evening, beautiful music in a lovely setting, everyone really enjoyed the experience and hopefully we'll see you all again next year.

I do hope you are as thrilled with your festival as everyone else was? What a special festival. Everything aspect was planned perfectly. WELL DONE! Dates for next year?!