St Mary's Church
Stoke d'Abernon
KT11 3PX


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© Baroquestock


Information

The Surrey Bach Festival is a brand-new classical music festival, held over a week in July at St Mary’s Church, Stoke D’Abernon.

Tickets

Visit our What’s On page to find our more about our concerts and events. Tickets can all be purchased in advance at Ticketsource, or with more limited availability on the door. Book ahead to avoid disappointment, as our events may sell out!

Travel

Getting to St Mary’s is comfortable, with many travel options available.By train:
Cobham and Stoke D’Abernon is the closest train station to St Mary’s, situated on the line between Guildford and London Waterloo. Trains run every half an hour, and the church is a 15 minute walk from the station with taxis also available.
By car:
There is plenty of parking available at the church, which is situated in the grounds of Parkside School. We are situated on Stoke Road, just to the east of the centre of Stoke D’Abernon, directly opposite Squires Garden Centre.

St Mary’s Church at Stoke D’Abernon

St Mary’s Church is a fascinating patchwork building that tells the story of centuries of British history. We’re thrilled to be able to celebrate some beautiful early music in its historical walls!The church was originally built in the 7th century by Anglo-Saxons. Many churches like this were built in the area after the Gregorian mission from Rome introduced Christianity to the Anglo-Saxons in the late 6th century.Countless people from different cultures, countries and time periods have left their mark on St Mary’s Church in the centuries it’s stood in Stoke D’Abernon. Look out for these little quirks and treasures when you visit — each of them tells a story.Architecture
- Bricks, tiles and worked stones from Roman buildings that were reused to build the Anglo-Saxon church. These can be easily seen among the large field flints of the exterior walls of the church.
- The high-level doorway to the thegn’s gallery, visible in the south wall of the church. St Mary's Church was built on private land by a feudal lord and is the earliest English example of a church with a thegn’s gallery.
- The present square-ended chancel, which replaced the rounded Saxon apse in 1240. The axis of the chancel was likely aligned to the sunrise.
- A surviving section of a gorgeous 13th century mural painting of the Adoration of the Lamb on the east wall.
Objects
- An 16 rank organ designed and voiced for the church in 1975 by the legendary Frobenius of Copenhagen.
- A stone Roman cinerary coffret from the 2nd century AD — the oldest artefact in the church.
- A 17th century heptagonal walnut pulpit supported by seven part-animal, part-human caryatids. The words “Faith comes from what is heard” (Romans 10:17) are gilded into a column so they can only be read by the priest.
- The monumental brass of Sir John the Elder — one of the finest brasses in existence.
You can read an even more in-depth description of St Mary’s Church and its historical characteristics on the church website.

Things to do in the area

St Mary’s Church is in a great location for nature fans. We’ve listed eight popular nearby walks with travel times, facilities, accessibility, and other important information.We also recommend Surrey Walks - a wonderful blog dedicated to sharing the best routes and trails for exploring Surrey on foot.

Oxshott Heath

National Forest | 9 minutes drive

Facilities: Free parking.
Accessibility: No toilets. Wheel-accessible by paths.
Other information: Try the popular 6.1km loop trail from The Old Plough, a 300 year old courthouse turned pub, to Oxshott Heath. The route heads out on the footpaths alongside Knowle Hill Park and Littleheath Common Ponds to Oxshott Heath, a beautiful woodland, heath and common.

The Homewood

20th c. Cubist country residence and gardens | 9 minutes drive

Facilities: Free parking at the house.
Accessibility: No toilets. Most showrooms are on the first floor, which can only be accessed by a spiral staircase.
Other information: Open for pre-booked tours.

Esher Commons

Hiking area | 10 minutes drive

Facilities: Free parking (limited space).
Accessibility: No toilets. Wide, well maintained paths for the majority of the route.

Claremont Landscape Gardens

10 minutes drive

Facilities: Free parking (opens 10am). Additional car park can be found in West End Lane (not National Trust). Disabled parking available. Cafe open daily with indoor and outdoor seating.
Accessibility: Adapted toilet with ramp access in car park. All-terrain wheelchair available to hire. Accessible path around the perimeter of the lake, and many benches.

Bookham Commons

Nature reserve | 14 minutes drive

Facilities: Paid parking (free for National Trust members) at Tunnel car park. Free parking at Mark Oak Gate. Free parking at Hundred Pound Bridge.
Accessibility: No toilets. Access for mobility vehicles and wheelchairs to the bird hide at the upper eastern pond. All-weather surfaced bridle paths. Benches.
Other information: Well-controlled dogs are welcome. Please keep them on leads where livestock are grazing.

Box Hill Stepping Stones

Tourist attraction | 16 minutes drive

Facilities: Parking, shop.
Accessibility: Challenging for people with reduced mobility. There is a steep descent from the top of Box Hill down to the River Mole with 275 steps before the bottom. The pathways can get slippery when wet.
Other information: Dog friendly. Dogs should be kept on leads near livestock. 1 hour 30 mins trail.

Norbury Park

Nature reserve | 19 minutes drive

Facilities: Free parking at Fetcham car park, Young Street car park and Crabtree car park. Picnic area.
Accessibility: Not suitable for wheelchair users or those with limited mobility.
Other information: Dogs permitted under effective control (grazing cattle).




what’s on: 2025



CONSONE QUARTET

Monday 14th July | 7:30pm


Historical Tour:

1300 YEARS AND COUNTING

Wednesday 16th July | 2:30pm


THE QUEENES CHAPPELL

Wednesday 16th July | 7:30pm


STEVEN DEVINE, harpsichord

Thursday 17th July | 1:00pm


Historical Tour:

1300 YEARS AND COUNTING

Thursday 17th July | 3:30pm


SURREY BACH FESTIVAL ORCHESTRA

Friday 18th July | 7:30pm


COME AND SING DAY

with Eamonn Dougan

Saturday 19th July | 10:00am - 5:00pm


HANDEL | Aci, Galatea e Polifemo

ISTANTE OPERA

Saturday 19th July | 7:00pm


Festival Evensong

Sunday 20th July | 6:00pm



CONSONE QUARTET

Monday 14th July | 7:30pm

St Mary’s Church, Stoke D’Abernon, KT11 3PX

Consone Quartet

Agata Daraškaitė, Magdalena Loth-Hill – violin
Elitsa Bogdanova – viola
George Ross - cello

“…They play with perfect intonation, tremendous attack, and impeccable historical style. All the four instruments work together with such intelligence and imagination that I would happily listen to them every day.”
- Sir Roger Norrington

artist biography

©The first period instrument string quartet to be selected as BBC New Generation Artists, the Consone Quartet are fast making a name for themselves with their honest and expressive interpretations of repertoire, notably from the classical and romantic eras.Formed at the Royal College of Music in London, the Consone Quartet launched their professional career in 2015, shortly after which they were awarded two prizes at the 2015 York Early Music International Young Artists Competition, including the EUBO Development Trust Prize and a place on the EEEmerging Scheme in France. They went on to win the 2016 Royal Over-Seas League Ensemble Prize, and in 2022 were awarded a prestigious Borletti-Buitoni Trust (BBT) fellowship.The quartet has been enthusiastically received at London’s major venues, as well as further afield in Poland, Switzerland, Italy, Austria, Bulgaria and Slovenia. Festival invitations include Edinburgh, Cheltenham, Dartington, Two Moors, Buxton, MA Festival in Bruges, Heidelberger Streichquartettfest, and Festspiele Mecklenburg-Vorpommern in Germany.In 2024 the quartet returned to the English Haydn Festival and the York Early Music Festival, both of which are loyal supporters and regularly host the group. Consone are Artists-in-Residence at Paxton House (2023-2025) and at Saxon Shore Early Music Kenardington (2024-2027). Following tours of South America (2018) and Canada (2023) the quartet will return to North America in 2025 to perform both alone and in collaboration with pianist Kristian Bezuidenhout.2023 saw the Consone Quartet premiere a new work for string sextet by Gavin Bryars, commissioned by friends of the Quartet, the Borletti-Buitoni Trust and BBC Radio 3. The work, entitled “The Bridges of Königsberg”, was broadcast on Radio 3 from St Martin-in-the-Fields in October 2023. They will further their exploration of contemporary music with the premiere of a new work for string quartet by Oliver Leith in summer 2025.Education work remains a core interest to the group, having worked with students at the Royal College of Music in London, Chetham’s School of Music in Manchester, the Royal Welsh College of Music and Drama and the Guildhall School of Music and Drama, as Hans Keller fellows for 2020-2022. 2024 sees the beginning of a new partnership with the Frost Trust as “Visiting Quartet” at Sheffield’s Music in the Round.The quartet’s debut recording explored music by Haydn and Mendelssohn and was described by The Strad as an album “that instantly leaps out of the stereo at you as something special.” In Spring 2023 they released the first CD in a complete cycle of Mendelssohn’s string quartets with Linn Records. The album, featuring both the ‘1823’ and Op. 44 No. 3 quartets, has been described as ‘top-notch’ (Allmusic) and ‘exquisite’ (Pizzicato).Photographs © Matthew Johnson.

programme

3 Romances, Op. 22, arr. Amy Tress


String Quartet in A Major, KV 464

interval

String Quartet in A Minor, Op. 41, No. 1

Clara Schumann


Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart

--

Robert Schumann



THE QUEENES CHAPPELL

Wednesday 16th July | 7:30pm

St Mary’s Church, Stoke D’Abernon, KT11 3PX

The Queenes Chappell

The Queenes Chappell returns to the Surrey Bach Festival after a highly successful concert in 2024 of motets by J. S. Bach.This evening concert, lit by candlelight, will be a meditative and moving event.

artist biography

The Queenes Chappell is a young, versatile vocal consort committed to the performance of 16th, 17th and 18th century repertoire in a bold, vivid, and historically informed style. Founded in 2022 by Artistic Director Matthew Brown, the group has presented concerts across London and beyond, and is fast establishing itself as a fresh and exciting interpreter of Renaissance and Baroque repertoire.The group is now resident at St Mary’s Church, Stoke d’Abernon, a historic church with a long and rich history of historical performance. Previously, The Queenes Chappell were engaged as Artists-in-Residence at St Mary-le-Strand in central London, and have appeared in the Italian Sounds in London and Baroquestock festivals.Its members are drawn from London’s best solo and consort singers, who sing with other premiere ensembles such as Voces8, Monteverdi Choir, Gabrieli Consort, Tenebrae, and The Sixteen.Photographs © Matthew Brown, Olivia Petryszak.



1300 YEARS AND COUNTING

Wednesday 16th July | 2:30pm

Thursday 17th July | 3:30pm

St Mary’s Church, Stoke D’Abernon, KT11 3PX

1300 Years and Counting

An opportunity to join a guided tour of St Mary’s Church, Stoke D’Abernon, Surrey’s oldest church which dates from the 7th century. Features include reused Roman materials laid in characteristic Saxon style, 13th century wall paintings, internationally renowned 14th century brasses, a 16th century chantry chapel containing Vincent family monuments, a fine Jacobean pulpit and an important collection of 15th and 16th century stained glass.Each tour, which will last around 60 minutes, will be led by a professional guide and there will be an opportunity to ask questions.No charge will be made for these tours but donations to St Mary’s Church (by cash or card) will be welcome.Numbers are limited so early booking is recommended.



SURREY BACH FESTIVAL ORCHESTRA

Friday 18th July | 7:30pm

St Mary’s Church, Stoke D’Abernon, KT11 3PX

Surrey Bach Festival Orchestra

The festival's own orchestra returns to St Mary's Stoke d'Abernon for an exciting evening of Baroque orchestral music by Bach, Corelli and Handel.Conducted from the harpsichord by Festival Artistic Director Matthew Brown, this event promises to be an exciting evening of elegant music for strings, winds and harpsichord.

artist biography

Matthew Brown - conductor

British harpsichordist, early organist, and director Matthew Brown is in demand as a continuo player, recitalist, repetiteur, vocal coach and conductor across London and beyond. Matthew has studied under various leading harpsichordists and directors such as Carole Cerasi, James Johnstone, Colin Booth, Steven Devine, Jörg-Andreas Bötticher, and Eamonn Dougan.In concert, Matthew has collaborated with groups such as the Academy of Ancient Music, Philharmonia, Genesis Sixteen, and Istante Collective, performing orchestral and chamber repertoire across London and beyond. He has been a member of young artist programmes with the Orchestra of the Age of Enlightenment (Young Associate Scheme), Cambridge Handel Opera Company (Talent Development Programme), and Brighton Early Music Festival Young Artists Scheme. He works frequently with Bellot Ensemble, a young chamber ensemble who are building a profile as interpreters of 17th century repertoire, who recently recorded a debut album, Cupid’s Ground Bass. He also collaborates with recorder player Olivia Petryszak in their duo fora, working recently on a series of video recordings.Fostering a special interest in vocal repertoire and opera, Matthew frequently works as a vocal coach, repetiteur and opera continuo player, for companies such as Cambridge Handel Opera Company, Ryedale Festival Opera, Istante Opera, Hampstead Garden Opera, and Guildhall Opera, covering a variety of Baroque opera repertoire from Monteverdi to Handel. He is in demand and gaining several regular clients as a vocal coach and accompanist, recently delivering a masterclass on baroque singing at the University of Manchester alongside Hilary Cronin. In January 2022, Matthew founded The Queenes Chappell, a historically informed solo-voice consort of which he is Artistic Director, who give acclaimed concerts across London and the UK.As a solo harpsichordist, Matthew has received acclaim for his sensitive and engaging playing. In 2023, Matthew was the First Prize winner at the Lewis Memorial Prize competition, held at the Royal Academy of Music, with a concert of keyboard works from Musica Britannica editions. Recital projects have included mr w birde of the chapell, a programme of English virginal music focused on William Byrd which he toured in the UK and Canada, and bach alla francese, a programme celebrating Bach's connections with keyboard composers from 17th century France.Beginning in July 2024, Matthew has founded and served as Artistic Director of the Surrey Bach Festival. In its inaugural year at St Mary's Stoke d'Abernon, the festival presented three headline evening concerts and two lunchtime concerts, and is in the planning stages for the 2025 festival. Matthew serves as Organist and Director of Music at St Mary’s Stoke D’Abernon, where he presides over the specialist baroque organ built by Danish company Frobenius in 1975, and a flourishing music department which focuses on Renaissance and Baroque liturgical repertoire.Photographs: Ben Reason, 2025.



HANDEL | Aci, Galatea e Polifemo

ISTANTE OPERA

Saturday 19th July | 7:00pm

St Mary’s Church, Stoke D’Abernon, KT11 3PX

Istante Opera

George Frederic Handel - Aci, Galatea e Polifemo

Conductor: Matthew Brown
Director: Natalie Coury
In collaboration with Baroquestock Festival 2025: https://baroquestock.com/

artist biography

Istante is a versatile musical collective committed to reaching out to new audiences through innovative concert experiences. Istante’s performances, often held in an informal setting, aim to inspire the listener by linking repertoire through historical and narrative threads.Individually, Istante’s members perform with prestigious orchestras and ensembles including Royal Opera House Orchestra, BBC Symphony Orchestra, Bournemouth Symphony Orchestra, La Scala orchestra, English Baroque Soloists/Orchestre Révolutionnaire et Romantique, Orchestra of the Age of Enlightenment, Academy of Ancient Music, King’s Consort. By combining their diverse experience, they are able to offer a unique breadth of repertoire, both in terms of style and historical period.Istante has performed in a range of venues in the UK and abroad, including the St Stephen's Festival of the Arts in London, the Newbury Festival and Classica Aurora series in Arezzo (Italy), and was selected for the 2017-2018 BREMF Live! Scheme. The ensemble counts a number of collaborations with Opera Vera, performing original arrangements of La Boheme, Gianni Schicchi, and Mozart’s da Ponte trilogy.Istante is ensemble in residence at Baroquestock Festival, featuring a unique fusion of historical performance, folk music, community projects and home-cooked food. Baroquestock highlights include a fully staged production of J.Haydn’s rarely-heard opera “Lo Speziale”. The ensemble also play various concerts throughout the year, often as part of the church's lunchtime concert series.Istante’s debut album, ‘Little things in Odd Shapes’, featuring chamber music for mixed string/wind ensemble by Boccherini and M. Haydn, was released by Novantiqua Records in 2018.Photographs © John-Henry Baker, Baroquestock.



COME AND SING DAY

with Eamonn Dougan

Saturday 19th July | 10:00am - 5:00pm

St Mary’s Church Hall, Stoke D’Abernon, KT11 3PX

Come and Sing Day, with Eamonn Dougan

Reserve your place now for an exciting day of choral workshops with Associate Conductor of The Sixteen, Eamonn Dougan.



STEVEN DEVINE

Thursday 17th July | 1:00pm

St Mary’s Church, Stoke D’Abernon, KT11 3PX

Steven Devine, harpsichord

Internationally acclaimed harpsichordist Steven Devine, principal keyboard of the OAE, performs a lunchtime harpsichord recital.This contemplative lunchtime performance will be followed by refreshments and a chance to meet the artist.

artist biography

Steven Devine combines a career as a conductor and director of orchestral, choral and opera repertoire with that of a solo harpsichordist and fortepianist. He is the Conductor and Artistic Advisor of The English Haydn Festival; Music Director of New Chamber Opera, Oxford and Director of the Orchestra of the Age of Enlightenment’s “Bach the Universe & Everything” series.On the concert platform, he has directed Purcell, Blow, Bach, Handel and Mozart with the Orchestra of the Age of Enlightenment; Bach Easter Oratorio with the BBC National Orchestra of Wales; Haydn, Handel, CPE Bach, JC Bach, Ditterdorf and Viotti with the English Haydn Orchestra; Handel, Vivaldi and Porpora Trondheim Barokk, Bach Christmas Oratorio with the Norwegian Wind Ensemble; Handel Solomon as well as JS and CPE Bach programmes with Victoria Baroque Players, British Columbia, Handel Belshazzar at the Valetta Festival and Handel Music for the Royal Fireworks with Arion Baroque Ensemble, Montreal.He has also directed programmes with the Academy of Ancient Music, Academie d’Ambronay, the Mozart Festival Orchestra and St Paul’s Chamber Orchestra.Photographs © Ian Davies.



FESTIVAL EVENSONG

Sunday 20th July | 6:00pm

St Mary’s Church, Stoke D’Abernon, KT11 3PX

Festival Evensong, dir. Matthew Brown

Join us for a contemplative and moving Evensong service to conclude the festival at St Mary's.Featuring cantatas by J.S. Bach, performed by members of the Queenes Chappell, St Mary's Norbury Choir, and professional instrumentalists, this beautiful service is not one to miss.




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