FOLLOWING his latest appearance as guest soloist with The Royal Philharmonic Orchestra, Richard Durrant, one of the foremost guitarists in the country, returns to Ryedale to perform a concert at Pickering Memorial Hall on Friday, March 26, following last year’s sell-out event.

The concert has once again been organised to raise funds for an extension to St Joseph’s RC Primary School in the town. “We sold all the tickets for last year’s concert and the audience response was absolutely fantastic,” said Ben Howard, of The Friends of St Joseph’s School. “Immediately afterwards, people were already asking when he was coming back. Richard is returning with a new programme which promises to be as varied as ever.”

Richard has played all over Europe, since graduating in 1986 from The Royal College of Music with all the college’s guitar prizes. This is his successful Guitar Whisperer show, which he describes as “a classical guitar recital that quickly moves into its own highly individual territory, blending recital music with new technology, improvisation, unexpected instruments, and storytelling.” The concert comprises popular guitar classics and Richard’s own compositions, and includes projected film and animation to enhance the performance.

His latest album, Recuerdos: Guitar Classics, was given a five-star review in Classic FM Magazine, and was described as “a flawless and mesmerising acoustic translation” by Acoustic Magazine. “This is a fantastic opportunity to hear a programme of wide-ranging appeal from a musician of the highest calibre,” said Ben. “Richard’s concerts are always entertaining and anyone with an interest in music will have a great evening. We’re hoping for another sell-out this year and would encourage people to buy their tickets early.”

The concert starts at 7.30pm, tickets, priced £10/£8, are available from rd.pickering09@hotmail.com, or from Pickering Tourist Information Centre, phone 01751 473791.