Mary Blanchard

The soloist for our June 2024 concert, Mary Blanchard, is one of our finest local musicians. She began her musical studies on the piano, taking up the flute a few years later. She studied with Margaret Campbell (then principal flute of the CBSO) before moving to Essex to study for a music degree at Colchester Institute. The music department provided wonderful opportunities for performance, with many highly respected lecturers and visiting instrumental tutors. Mary studied both flute with Duke Dobing and piano with Dr. Charlene Biggs. 

After college, Mary acquired an extensive teaching practice and played with many local ensembles and orchestras including Colchester New Music group where she was involved in several first performances of local composers’ works. 

While raising a family, she continued to take part in music in Essex and Suffolk and began to take on accompanying work, something she had studied with Christopher Roberts whilst at Colchester Institute. She is currently the staff accompanist at The Sixth Form College, Colchester and is the rehearsal pianist for Nayland Choir.  
As a flautist she was a founder member of the Kaleidoscope Ensemble formed in 2011 by singer Corinna Dolso, primarily to perform Ravel’s marvellous Chansons madécasses for soprano, flute, cello & piano, and took part in many concerts including the first performance of Magnificat by Australian composer Jennifer Fowler. 

She also plays with the Althena Ensemble, formed several years ago to explore lesser-known composers and repertoire for wind trio and piano. Currently comprising flute, oboe, violin & piano, concerts this year include lunchtime series at St. James the Great, Colchester, and St. Andrew’s, Earls Colne. 

Solo performances have included Bach B minor Suite for Stour Choral Society, Bach Brandenburg Concerto No.4 with Lavenham Sinfonia, and Mozart Concerto No.1 and Vivaldi Concerto in C for 2 flutes in concerts in Colchester and Felixstowe conducted by Patrick McCarthy. 

Mary lives in Long Melford and teaches piano & flute in Colchester. She plays with the Prometheus Orchestra and Lavenham Sinfonia, for which she is also a committee member. She is a member of Long Melford W.I. and enjoys reading and quizzes.