A 29-YEAR-old musical director continues to work tirelessly to bring the best cabaret acts to Maidenhead each month.

James Church runs the cabaret nights every month at Norden Farm, with the next one scheduled for May 4.

As the performers are booked directly from the West End, they can only be confirmed two weeks before the event.

James has been playing the piano since the age of six, when his parents bought him an ‘old honky-tonk’.

Self-taught to begin with, the musician won the Chichester University Robert Headley Music Prize.

During this time James watched a performance by one of his favourite artists, Maria Friedman, which inspired him to hold cabaret nights.

He said: "I remember loving the intimacy of the space and thought ‘Why doesn’t every theatre have a cabaret night?'"

James studied formally with Hilary Pugh in Stubbings until the age of 18 and then with concert pianist Chizumi Watanabe-Hollingworth.

He later graduated in 2006. Since then he has been producing monthly cabaret nights. West End stars such as Hannah Waddingham and Sharon D. Clarke have performed in the 98 seat studio theatre.

James saw his first professional musical, Ivor Novello’s Gay’s the Word, in 2013 at London’s Jermyn Street Theatre.

The cast included Tony award-winning Elizabeth Seal and Kirsten Cooke from ‘Allo ‘Allo. In September James became the musical director on Gyles Brandreth’s Now We are Sixty, which featured Russell Grant and Andrew C Wandsworth.

One of James’s proudest moments was performing with four time Tony Award Nominee, Gregg Edelman.

He said: "Gregg is a critically acclaimed Broadway star and I felt honoured to be his musical director for a week at London’s Crazy Coqs. He arranged his flights so that he could perform a special night for us in Maidenhead, which was incredible."

James’s musical influences are Stephen Sondheim and musicals such as Gypsy and Lady in the Dark.

With the support of marketing from Norden Farm marketing team, James is able to promote the nights. However, from booking artists to filling up jugs of water at the venue is all down to James. The next cabaret night is on Sunday, May 4 at 7.45pm at Norden Farm in Maidenhead. Tickets are £14 (£12 concessions) from 01628 788997 or go to www.nordenfarm.org.