2026

St Stephen's Church, Launceston, is an ancient church on the hill of Lanstefan in rural Cornwall.  Once home to the Town's Mint, when the castle was the seat of power in Cornwall, there has been a church established on the site since the 800s AD, although the site has been a holy site for longer than that.  The current church was rebuilt in the 1300s and is a powerful witness to centuries of prayer.  Welcoming and friendly, our visitors often comment that they can feel the prayer, and sense the warmth of love in the building.  The space is open every day to allow people to simply sit and pray quietly, or to enjoy the atmosphere, and we hold services every week open to all.

Our Concert Series aims at promoting high quality music in the town, making it accessible to the whole community at prices that are as low as we can manage to keep them.  Predominantly classical in style, we have also hosted music ranging from mediaeval hurdy-gurdy to the Pop Choir and all sorts in between!

We ask all of our musicians to provide Masterclasses for local learners of all ages, but the most important part of our project is outreach to the children in the local area, proving access to music to many children who otherwise do not experience orchestral instruments.  Through workshops in school and in the church, young children are able to meet different instruments, make music, and enjoy hearing the beauty of each instrument's range.  We always offer free concert tickets to Masterclass pupils, and wherever possible make children's tickets free for all U18s.  Our dream is to develop a large enough fund to make this a permanent offer, so that no child is prevented from coming to the concerts.

Our beautiful Bechstein Grand Piano, a gift from Mr Ben Reed in 2024, is a vital part of our outreach, providing a quality instrument for local pupils to play and for our performers in the concerts.  We aim to keep "Betty" available for those who would like to play her so that she is used and enjoyed.  Damp is a serious issue, and we are always grateful when people make a donation to our "Keep Betty Warm!" campaign!

If you would like to support our project, please consider making a donation as you buy your tickets, all of which will go into paying for workshops and funding music access for children in the local area.  A huge thank you to everyone who supports us - we are very grateful for your generosity in keeping our dream alive.