Florian Mitrea plays Chopin and the Liszt Sonata at Finchcocks, Goudhurst, on 22 November at 7pm. Tickets are £25, or £10 for under-16s, plus booking fee.

Concert pianist Florian Mitrea plays an evening of Chopin and Liszt at Finchcocks in Goudhurst on Sunday 22 November, from 7pm to 9pm, with all profits going to the piano scholarships Finchcocks funds for teenagers. Tickets are £25 for adults and £10 for under-16s, plus a booking fee, and include a glass of wine or a soft drink.

It is the second of two concerts Mitrea, who also teaches on Finchcocks’ piano courses, is giving there that day. The first, “Moonlight and Starlight” at 3pm with afternoon tea, is already full: the Finchcocks ticket page showed only a waiting list when we checked on 9 November. The evening concert still had tickets.

The programme

The evening is called “Alchemy: The Liszt Sonata”. Every piece is in B minor or B major, a programme Finchcocks describes as “a breathtaking musical journey” towards Liszt’s Sonata in B minor, the single-movement work that fills the second half.

  • Chopin, Scherzo No. 1 in B minor, Op. 20
  • Chopin, “Tuberose” Nocturne in B major, Op. 62 No. 1
  • Liszt, Ballade No. 2 in B minor, S. 171
  • Interval
  • Liszt, Sonata in B minor, S. 178

The concert is in the main hall of the house. Finchcocks calls it the chance to “witness the peak of ‘The Devil’s Pianist’s’ artistry”.

Finchcocks poster for two Florian Mitrea concerts on Sunday 22 November, Moonlight and Starlight at 3pm and Alchemy at 7pm, in aid of the Finchcocks Scholarship Scheme
The Finchcocks poster for both concerts on 22 November. Photo: supplied by Finchcocks

The afternoon programme on the poster was Beethoven’s Moonlight and Pathétique sonatas, Mozart’s variations on Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star, Debussy’s Clair de lune, and Chopin’s Nocturne Op. 27 No. 1 with three concert études.

Who is Florian Mitrea

The British-Romanian pianist won the Royal Over-Seas League Piano Competition in 2018 and was a double laureate at the Scottish, Hamamatsu and ARD Munich international competitions, according to the event listing. Top prize at the 2018 New York International Piano Festival led to his debut at Carnegie Hall, and he is heard on BBC Radio 3. The listing quotes Martha Argerich calling him “an outstanding young pianist”.

Where the money goes

All profits go to the Finchcocks Scholarship Scheme, launched in 2024. It pays for up to 30 half-hour piano lessons over a school year for children aged 11 to 18 who qualify for free school meals or whose school knows they need financial or social support. Lessons happen at the child’s own school with a visiting teacher, not at Finchcocks, and no previous experience is needed.

The first five scholars were chosen in 2024 from across the UK, “from Belfast to Newcastle”, Finchcocks says. A private donation and a strong festival year opened two more places in 2026, taking the scheme to seven, and it has committed to six scholars for 2026-27. One scholar’s mother is quoted on the scheme’s page: “I don’t think it would be an over-statement to say this scholarship has been completely life changing.”

Schools can refer a pupil: applications go through the school’s music or piano teacher, and the form is on the scholarship page.

What it means for you

  • When: Sunday 22 November, 7pm to 9pm. Doors open at 6.30pm, and Finchcocks asks for no earlier arrivals.
  • Where: Finchcocks, Goudhurst, TN17 1HH. Parking is at the front and rear of the house; tell Finchcocks in advance if you need an accessible space.
  • Access: the front entrance has six steps. Finchcocks asks you to say if you need help; accessible toilets are on the ground floor inside.
  • Tickets: £25 adults, £10 under-16s, plus booking fee, from Tickettailor. Audience is limited to 80, and a charity bar takes cash donations for further drinks. Full refund if the concert is cancelled.

For more music and events nearby, see What’s On in Tonbridge and the Christmas carol concerts.