Tickets are now on sale for the 2025 Petersfield Musical Festival, which promises a rich array of musical entertainment including two full-scale choral concerts, an opera, a Family Concert, two Youth Concerts, a Chamber choir, a chamber concert, a symphony orchestra, a brass band and the Hampshire Police Male Voice choir. View or download our flyer or view our events web pages.
This year’s eight-day Festival starts on Friday, 14th March and continues until Saturday 22nd March; it showcases nine concerts involving hundreds of singers and performers, ten soloists and eight different conductors or musical directors. PMF is a registered charity with a mission to promote high quality music in the community and provide a platform for promising new talent. It also offers financial support to student musicians at various stages of their careers.
Most concerts will take place in the Festival Hall, a purpose-built venue which is the envy of many larger towns and cities in the area. However more intimate chamber concerts will be held in St. Peter’s Church, including Vox Cantab directed by Louisa Denby, a former Churcher’s student (19th March) with a programme of choral music and readings by writer, composers and poets from or influenced by Petersfield. There will also be a lunch-time recital in St. Peter’s by recipients of bursaries from the MHFYM (Michael Hurd Fund for Young Musicians) – up and coming young students who have been financially helped in their musical journey.
For the first time this year PMF is being supported by two local businesses: the Lodge Dental Surgery and Littlejohn Bathrooms who have become Silver and Bronze sponsors.
Book-ending the Festival will be two flagship choral concerts which bring together local choirs from Rogate, Fernhurst and Petersfield together with independent singers. The first (15th March) features Vivaldi’s ever popular Gloria, Corelli’s Christmas Concerto, combined with Haydn’s ‘Creation’ Mass, so called because Haydn re-used music he had written in his well-known Creation Oratorio. Renowned choral director Paul Spicer will conduct Southern Pro Musica along with four young soloists.
The second choral concert on 22nd March closes the Festival with a rousing programme featuring Vaughan Williams’ powerful plea for peace, Dona Nobis Pacem. “It is an entirely appropriate work to perform in our war-torn times, as it was when it was written” says conductor Paul Spicer. “Vaughan Williams had been through the miseries of the Great War and this work was a heartfelt plea for peace.” The concert also includes Hubert Parry’s beloved Blest Pair of Sirens which has become one of the most admired and performed English choral works. “It is simply a heart-warming work,” Paul added. Also on the programme are Saint-Saëns’ Cello Concerto No.1 and Delius Summer Evening with the Basingstoke Symphony Orchestra conducted by Stephen Scotchmer.
Kicking off the Festival on 14th March is a double bill. Liss Band, celebrating its 50th anniversary, is at the heart of the local community and well-known for highly entertaining performances ranging from summer afternoon teas to evening concerts. The brass ensemble, conducted by Mike Pennicotte-Henrie, will present a programme spanning a broad range of styles, from the grand traditions of classical and brass band repertoire to the lively energy of popular music. They will be teamed with the Hampshire Police Male Voice Choir, a close harmony a cappella group of over 60 members including retired officers. The Choir’s charitable activities have raised thousands of pounds for local and national charities, whilst also promoting the Hampshire Constabulary’s Crime Prevention and Community Safety Programme. They are guaranteed to get you singing along with a broad repertoire from hymns to pop songs.
Petersfield Orchestra takes to the stage on Thursday 20th March under the baton of Robin Browning with a concert of core classical repertoire including Beethoven’s well-known Piano Concerto No.5, (Emperor), and Shostakovich’s epic Symphony No. 10. Soloist in the Beethoven concerto is Ariel Lanyi, one of Classic FM’s Rising Stars in 2023. “You need to use your imagination to the full to bring out the lyrical and rhetorical meaning in this work”, he commented. Completing the evening will be Lyadov’s Baba Yaga, a small-scale tone poem based on a Russian folk legend.
There is bound to be fun for all at this year’s Family Concert which has the theme ‘Dancing through the Movies’ – children can come dressed as their favourite film character and there will be music from Harry Potter and Sleeping Beauty, amongst others. SouthDowns Camerata is directed by Sara Deborah Timossi.
In addition, two Youth concerts give centre stage to local school children who will be showing off their skills through song and instrumental pieces to include Matilda, Simon & Garfunkel and Flanders and Swann. The combined schools wind and jazz bands will be complemented by the Petersfield Schools String Orchestra.
The Merry Widow Opera Company makes a popular return to the Festival this year on 21st March with its colourful staged version of die Fledermaus by Johann Strauss. Enjoy a witty, sparkling piece of musical fun with this mischievous operetta and dance along to the many famous tunes. Sung in English translation, it will be directed by Guido Martin-Brandis.
Several PMF concerts regularly sell out, so hurry to buy your tickets!
Image: Merry Opera, credit Bonnie Britain
