Here's to a Happy Christmas and a wonderful New Year from all at LongMan Records HQ. This was the local view a few days before the Solstice - and now its time to shut down for the winter festivities.

Peace and Love to you all!

The Candlelit Guitar Concert tonight at St Batholomew's Church Brighton is on despite Brighton's arctic appearance. Just leave a bit of extra time to get to the church and mind you don't slip!

In fact the snow should make it all the more magical...

TICKETS ON THE DOOR FROM 6PM

The summer gig season ended for me on 17th July with a gathering of singer songwriters signed to LongMan Records. I found the ocassion very moving as I realised what a significant body of work these artists have produced over recent years. The songs of Jack Cryer, Simon Stewart, Terry Emm, The Hofners, Mark Allen and Demolition Sky mean a lot to me personally and I feel very lucky to be working with such a great collection of musicians.

Since my first gig of the year in Partridge Green back in March I've travelled to 38 venues spread throughout the UK and have made loads of new friends. People have consistantly asked me about my beautiful Gary Hearn guitars and my signature model has just got better and better. Its hard to choose favourite moments from such an enjoyable tour but I've listed some below which I will be day dreaming about during the summer holidays. Thanks for coming to my gigs!

I particularly enjoyed the Ukuleles in Devon, the blazing sunshine on the Isle of Wight, Nick's fabulous lights at the Corn Exchange Newbury, the kids in Pickering North Yorkshire, the beautiful and superbly run new arts centres in Bishops Stortford & Didcot, Gary Holder's music club (pictured) and the gig with particle physicist Philip Harris performed with the help of Paul Kelly, Adrian Marriot and Bimbi Urquhart (also pictured).

Here is a film of Richard performing his arrangement of Albeniz's "Asturias" at the WWF "Earth Hour" gig back in March. The event took place in the beautiful, little church on Shoreham Beach, Sussex (the Church of the Good Shepherd).

And since then another review of Richard latest solo album has been published. The review appeared in Classical Music Magazine who described Richard's recording of Asturias as "drama drenched". They were particularly taken with Gary Hearn's "Richard Durrant Concert Model" (pictured). The sound they described as having "startling luminosity." Anybody who has heard this instrument, let alone played it, will know that this is an understatement. This is the Steinway Grand of the guitar world with unparalled volume, sustain and balance; designed and built by a brave genius.

Richard's current solo tour now extends to the end of June. All dates are on the left of this site, click for more details.

ANNE OF CLEVES PICNIC CONCERT TICKETS

Twenty nine years ago this May I played my first concert at the Brigton Festival Fringe. I was a nervous 17 year old pitching up at the Wagner Hall round the back of Churchill Square, my Mum had booked the venue and we'd had a special rubber stamp made by a shop halfway up Elm Grove so we could hand print some tickets.

On the night a good crowd turned up and I plucked my way through Britten's Nocturnal, some Lauro, some early music and a new piece I'd written myself for guitar and two cellos. My buddies Peter Copley and Graham Browne from the Brighton Youth Orchestra performed on this one (and after the gig we had as much curry as a 17 year old can take).

This year I'm returning to the festival once again where I will perform Britten's Nocturnal in a different setting. I've swapped the Wagner Hall for Brighton's awesome St Bartholomew's Church. This building has one of the highest ceilings in Europe and an acoustic to match so I'll be using no amplification at all. The programme will also include Walton's "Five Bagatelles", some Bach and several of my own pieces.

Tickets are available from 01273 709709 or online.