An evening of Baroque Music for Organ, Orchestra and voice is being held in a Dales church.

The Wensley Camerata is a celebration of a campaign to repair the historic three manual organ by Abbott of Leeds which was badly damaged by water, and the organist Richard Selwyn Sharpe who campaigned to bring it back to its former glory.  

It is considered the finest in Richmondshire, has a Grade I Certificate from the British Institute of Organ Studies, and was given to the church by the Orde-Powlett (Bolton) family in memory of Letitia Baroness Bolton, who died in 1882.

The concert is being held in aid of Holy Trinity Church, Wensley and Hope and Homes for Children Ukraine Appeal.

Richard, an incredibly talented organist, always wanted to play Handel's Organ Concertos with an orchestra. By chance he met a member of the Richmondshire Orchestra at a concert and was put in touch with conductor Martin Budgett, who developed a programme for a special evening of Handel and Bach.

The specially assembled orchestra, The Wensley Camerata, will perform two Handel Organ Concertos written for performance in the intervals of his Oratorios "Estther" and "Deborah" both written in 1735 .

Violet Beaumont will be singing the Handel aria "Let The Bright Seraphim" from the Oratorio "Samson," 1743. Violet is a talented soprano who was head chorister at Durham Cathedral and now lives in Edinburgh. She has sung at various Yorkshire weddings and in Hexham Abbey.

Richard will also perform a solo work for organ, a Concert in the Italian style by Vivaldi arranged by JS Bach, before the orchestra performs Bach's Orchestral Suite No 3, a work in the French style. The concert will conclude with Handel's festive Overture to the Occasional Oratorio written in 1745/6 to raise patriotic support during the Jacobite rebellion.

The concert, with a reception afterwards, is being held in Holy Trinity Church, Wensley on July 30 from 7.30pm to 9pm. Contact dhfarquharson@gmail.com