Since opening, we have been very proud to support talented musicians with a close connection to Finchcocks, as well some very worthwhile musical charities. During the pandemic, this partnership proved even more important. We thought supporters of our online efforts – as well in-person events – would like to hear what they have helped to raise in the name of inspirational music!

So far, we have so far raised £19,208.03 towards individual concert pianists and (musical) charities to whom we have offered our facilities free of charge. We will continue to work closely with these wonderful musicians and hope to provide a platform for them to share their amazing talent and support them financially to the fullest possible extent in the future.

And we’re pleased to announce 100% of all ticket revenue from our 2023 Finchcocks Festival will be donated to musical charities and local good causes.

2018: Our inaugural year and Beethoven’s anniversary

We launched our charitable endeavours with a very special concert to celebrate the 200th anniversary of the gift of a Broadwood piano to Beethoven in 1818.

Beethoven famously struggled with hearing problems, and Thomas Broadwood resolved to assist the great musician by designing the most technologically advanced and acoustically powerful instrument of its time. The project was a huge success and Beethoven thanked Broadwood in the most effusive terms as you can see below, where amongst other things he says “I shall look upon it as an altar upon which I shall place the most beautiful offerings of my spirit”

This concert was played on our own Broadwood piano, with all proceeds in aid of Help Musicians.

2019: Orpheus Centre and Help Musicians

In 2019, Tom Poster performed a fantastic concert in aid of the Orpheus Centre here at Finchcocks. Proceeds of £1,113.50 were donated to this invaluable charity and independent specialist college for young disabled adults with a passion for the performing arts. Their aim is to provide pupils with the skills needed to live independently, through music.

We followed this concert by an autumn performance in celebration of the composition of Holst’s Planets. The arrangement for four hands was performed by Jong-Gyung Park and Antony Zerpa-Falcon, and helped raise money in support of Help Musicians who specialise in providing assistance to professional musicians at the start of their career and in times of crisis.

Here’s to live music and lifting each other up! We #MakeMusicWork.

Supporting live in-person concerts with local musicians Helen Lacey, Alexander Metcalfe

Our 2019 programme continued with Finchcocks host and singer extraordinaire Helen Lacey who held a magical evening concert, treating us to a delight of classical song in support of her Masters in Performance and Alexander Metcalfe (alongside Amusia Productions) presented guests and local music lovers with a surreal and unforgettable performance of Satie production Mémoires d’un Amnésique. Both concerts raised over £2,000 with all proceeds being split between the musicians and our nominated musical charities.

Summer 2020: Supporting artists during the pandemic

In response to the complete shut down of performance venues, we helped Warren Mailley Smith livestream to the nation and keep the music going! Broadcasting from our recital room (we were closed too), Warren initially launched a 5-week series, but it soon became apparent that lockdown was going to last longer than “just a few weeks”. Since then, Warren has performed 20 live streamed recitals, broadcasting his concerts to tens of thousands of people online. Donations via our website which went directly to the artist have amounted to £1,470, with tickets also available from Warren’s own website which you can find here.

2021: Finchcocks Festival raises funds for local causes

Our Finchcocks summer festival was our largest to date, with four concerts including a jazz garden party, an outdoor piano recital, an orchestral performance by the Piccadilly Sinfonietta and our first ever Children’s concert. We were proud to donate all proceeds from the bar to the following local good causes:

Wealden Family Hub £317

Goudhurst & Kilndown Primary School music department £315

Kilndown Church extension £305

Thank you to all who attended, supported, gave (and drank!) so generously.

2022: Finchcocks Festival raises funds for local causes

Our Finchcocks summer festival returned this year, with the very popular Jazz trio on the lawn in our walled garden and blissful Chopin & champagne with Warren Mailley-Smith – set against the backdrop of Finchcocks’ west elevation on our open-air stage. We were proud to donate all profits from ticket sales and the bar to musical causes.

£4,416.50 revenue was raised which, after payments to musicians, (wine etc was donated by Finchcocks) will culminate in donations as follows:

Cranbrook School Music Department £3,076.50

Help Musicians £410

Thank you to all who attended, supported, gave (and drank!) so generously.

Piano recital in aid of Ukraine appeal

Just a week before our 2022 festival, Finchcocks was delighted to host a piano recital in aid of the DEC Ukraine humanitarian appeal. The piano trio, comprising of Tuck-Kay Loke (piano), Catherine Brooker (cello) and Rosemary Gilbart-Smith (violin) put on a beautiful evening of music, held in the main hall of the manor house on the family Bosendorfer. Music include dMozart’s Piano Trio in C major (K.548), Three Miniatures for Violin, Cello and Piano by Frank Bridge, Elegie for Piano, Violin and Cello (Op. 23) by Josef Suk and Schubert’s Piano Trio in B flat Major (Op. 99).

A fantastic £1598 was raised by ticket donations and a wonderful evening had by all in the process!

2023: Finchcocks Festival raises funds for local secondary school music departments

Finchcocks Festival #3 was such a happy occasion. We welcomed over 200 guests over the course of the weekend – some for their third festival in a row, some first-timers! Saturday saw the return of the Finchcocks Jazz Trio with Jazz on the Lawn, featuring David Hall (piano), Jennifer Maslin (vocals & violin) and James Sunney (double bass), and Sunday the inimitable Florian Mitrea with Music for a Coronation.

We were delighted that ticket and bar sales raised a whopping £4,288.40 for local the music departments of two local secondary schools – providing necessary funds to run additional lunchtime singing and orchestral clubs at both Mascalls’ Academy and Cranbrook School. Thank you so much for your support… and we’re already looking forward to #4!

2024’s Finchcocks Festival brought absolutely perfect weather for our musical weekend audience. Audience numbers were their biggest to date and it was so lovely to welcome back now-regular festival goers, as well as plenty of newbies! The established Jazz on the Lawn with the Finchcocks Jazz Trio saw the walled garden full of summer picnics for a beautifully relaxed afternoon, whilst piano duo Jong-Gyung Park and Anthony Zerpa-Falcón blew an appreciative audience away with a wonderful collection of classics for four hands.

Profits raised a very healthy £2,671.28 which will be distributed to local musical charities and projects. An update on this to follow soon! Many thanks to all who came.