This month we welcome Paul Lavender as he hosts the free recital at St Mary's church in Higham Ferrers.

As a child Paul was called a “musical prodigy”, and gave London debuts in his early teens on both piano and organ, and gave numerous concerts around the world by the time he was 23. He read music at Oxford and went on to study for an M.Phil in Interpretation and Performance. Paul has worked as a soloist and a repetiteur with Sir Georg Solti, Kiri Te Kanawa, Leo Nucci, and Lucciano Pavarotti amongst others, giving chamber, concerti and solo concerts throughout the UK and in continental Europe and the USA.

As a minister of music, worship leader and music director, he has worked with many of the leading worship leaders in the UK and beyond, such as Graham Kendrick, Sue Rinaldi, Darlene Zschech, Geraldine Latty, Matt Redmann, Brian Doerksen, and the London Community Gospel Choir. He also studied for an M.Th in Pastoral and Practical Theology at University of Wales College Cardiff between 1997 and 1999. He was also music director at successive National Baptist Assemblies from 1992-2005, an Academic Advisor to the Music and Worship department at the London School of Theology. He became the Senior Minister at Mount Pleasant Baptist Church Northampton in October 2007.

St Mary's is an accessible building with a hearing loop. Only disabled parking on site, free parking can be found in Midland Road (NN108DL). Refreshments can be found in the Bede House within the grounds of the church. Retiring donations welcomed for general church fundraising.