Antoine Pichon at the piano in St Mary’s Church

PARISHIONERS were treated to a special concert after a longstanding church member left a legacy donation in her will.

Denise Antenen had been a parishioner at St Mary’s Church in Upper Street for decades and was also on the parochial church council (PCC).

She died in November 2019 leaving in her will a donation to ensure concerts took place at the church in Angel.

A series of Friday concerts are taking place in her memory.

“I knew her when I was little,” said church volunteer Pamela Quantril, who has been coming to St Mary’s since 1953.

“Her great passions were music and the missionary committee. She was fierce but she had a heart of gold. Being the PCC secretary, she was very precise. She was a great opera-goer – she loved music but particularly opera.”

Ms Antenen, a Swiss national, originally lived in Holloway before moving to Barnsbury Street. She worked for the sheet music and instrument making company, Boosey and Hawkes.

At her death, she left money to a range of different causes and charities, including Dulwich Picture Gallery, the London Symphony Orchestra and St Mary’s Church.

The Rev James Hughesdon St Mary’s vicar said: “Denise Antenen was a longstanding member of St Mary Islington and a lover of the arts and classical music.

“We hope that many people will be blessed by these recitals and Denise’s gift.

“The free monthly Friday lunchtime recitals at St Mary’s are part of our hope for everyone to be welcomed into St Mary’s and find a home here. They have been made possible by a legacy left to St Mary’s by Denise.”

The first Friday concert started in January, with another one in February before last week’s performance.

The church is expecting to host a monthly concert on the third Friday of the month until the end of the year, starting at 1.15pm.

Its first concert featured the Danse Macabre and The Carnival of the Animals by Camille Saint-Saëns alongside poetry read out by Fantastic Beasts actor Joshua Shea, while last week’s saw award-winning pianist Antoine Pichon tickle the ivories.

The Strasbourg-based musician played Mozart and Franck to 112 people in what was the largest Friday recital audience yet.

Rev Hughesdon said: “It felt heartwarming playing in such a beautiful area of London. The central piece by Franck is rarely performed and I learned it by sheer curiosity for the composer.

“I was doubting if the piece would captivate the public prior to the concert and given all the effort spent learning it, their enthusiasm was a bowl of fresh air.

“The balanced acoustics, the light inside the church and the amount of cultivated listeners present also contributed to this feeling.”