A moving memorial concert from Hastings International Music Festival

Hastings International Music Festival presents a unique evening at White Rock Theatre to celebrate the life of their beloved former chairman, Molly Townson (1943-2019).
Errolyn WarrenErrolyn Warren
Errolyn Warren

The event takes place on Sunday, October 27 (7pm).

A spokesperson said: “Molly was an inspiration to several generations of singers and performers, and this is our chance to remember her, and her life, joyfully together.

“This gala evening will honour every aspect of Molly’s musical life, from her own singing to her subsequent career as a singing teacher, with special focus on her long association with the Hastings Musical Festival and the Hastings International Piano Concerto Competition. As such, we welcome back previous festival winners who have gone on to successful careers, including Molly’s daughters, singers Melanie Stace and Emma Stace. We also welcome performances from Miwako Miki and Frank Wibaut, prize winner and former artistic director respectively of Hastings International Piano Concerto Competition. There will also be contributions from the various performing groups with which she was associated, including Soiree, her touring Edwardian musical entertainment, and Cantabile, her choir, with choreography by Pauline Ash of Laton Ash Dance Centre. And all this, under the watchful eye of Petula Clark CBE, president of the Hastings International Musical Festival.

Shirley CollinsShirley Collins
Shirley Collins
Hide Ad
Hide Ad

“The evening will also feature performances and appearances from famous friends in the wider world of music, including Shirley Collins MBE, the Hastings-born Queen of English Folk Song, and Ian Kearey (The Oyster Band and The Blue Aeroplanes); celebrated composer, double bassist and former classmate Gavin Bryers; and composer Errollyn Wallen MBE, ‘the renaissance woman of contemporary British music’ (The Observer) and formal resident and festival competitor. The celebration will be compèred by Molly’s son Wesley Stace (aka John Wesley Harding).”

All proceeds will go to the Molly Townson Bursary Fund, for young people intending to pursue a career in the performing arts.

Tickets cost £12 (£8 for over 60s, £6 for under 16s and students with ID). Visit whiterocktheatre.org.uk.

Four things to do in the Hastings area. Click here to find out more.

Gavin BryersGavin Bryers
Gavin Bryers

Four things to do in East Sussex. Click here to read more.

Four things to do in Eastbourne. Click here to read more.

Craig Charles headlines a huge party at Hastings’ White Rock Theatre. Click here to read more.

We Love Little Mix: a high-energy show in Hastings. Click here to read more.

Related topics: