About the venue
St John the Divine is a lovely welcoming space. There is parking at the church. As well as the church car park, there is ample on-street parking nearby and a council car park opposite the church. Brighouse railway station is just 4 minutes walk away.
There is step-free level access to all seating, kitchen and toilets. Two disabled parking spaces are available immediately outside the door.
Seats are unreserved, choose any seat.
March 22nd 2026 at St John the Divine, Rastrick, 3pm
Beethoven: Egmont Overture
Mendelssohn: Violin Concerto (soloist Rachel Stonham)
Mahler: Blumine
Poulenc: Sinfonietta
Manchester-based violinist Rachel Stonham is rapidly developing a career as an accomplished and versatile musician known for her energy and compelling musicality. With a repertoire extending from the classics of violin music to lesser-known works and those of present-day composers, her performances capture the essence of both the familiar and the unfamiliar.
Having completed her Master’s degree at the Royal Northern College of Music, studying with Catherine Yates and Callum Smart, she is now a student on the Hallé/RNCM Advanced Orchestral Strings Programme.
Within the last year, her concerto appearances include the Beethoven Violin Concerto with the Manchester Philharmonic Orchestra, Michael Daugherty’s concerto ‘Fire and Blood’ with the RNCM Symphony Orchestra, and premiering Nicholas Simpson’s violin concerto with the Athenean Ensemble. She has also given recitals at the RNCM and for the Rochdale Toad Lane Concert Series.
Rachel is a founding member of the Dovestone String Quartet, who have performed across the country at venues including Conway Hall and the Lake District Music Summer Festival. She also performs regularly with the Valette Ensemble, a chamber group which promotes works by contemporary and under-represented composers. As an orchestral musician, she has played with groups including the Hallé, Royal Liverpool Philharmonic Orchestra, Manchester Camerata, and Sinfonia Cymru.
