Free lunchtime Spanish Guitar recital by Richard Bowen at St Nicolas, Pevensey

Eastbourne-based classical guitarist Richard Bowen will be giving a recital at St Nicolas, Pevensey at 1pm on Thursday 26 July. He will play a selection of pieces by renowned Spanish composers Albeniz, Tarrega, Cardoso and Sor, as well as transcriptions of tunes originally composed by JS Bach for the lute and cello. There is no admission charge, but a retiring collection will be taken to contribute to the cost of maintaining the newly restored church building. Tea, coffee, wine and soft drinks will be available before the concert.

Churchwarden Simon Sargent commented “We are very pleased to welcome Richard Bowen to St Nicolas for our first guitar concert in recent years; the instrument should be well-suited to our excellent acoustics. We are also very grateful to Richard for generously offering to perform for the benefit of the church. Now that the building has been so beautifully restored, regular fundraising is essential to maintain it in good condition.”

Richard Bowen gained an ATCL Performance Diploma at Trinity College of Music in London in 2010. He studied Classical Guitar with the internationally recognised Segovia prize-winner, Paul Gregory, and won two categories in the Brighton Competitive Music Festival on Classical Guitar in the late 1980s.

Prior to undertaking classical studies, Richard spent three years at the Leeds College of Music, studying Jazz Guitar. He has worked all over the world in this capacity, and has backed many famous faces. For two years, he was the guitarist with the Frankie Vaughan Orchestra. He has done sessions on guitar for BBC television, and for individual singers, and performed in West End shows.  He is also active on the local jazz scene.

Richard’s classical work has been mostly for local music societies and churches such as The Chapel Royal, Brighton, St Nicholas, Brighton, St Leonard’s Seaford, and St Mary’s Eastbourne, where he was a festival artist in 2016.

He also performs at hotels for various functions where classical guitar is required, such as the Randolph in Oxford, and the Grand Hotels in Eastbourne and Brighton.