For more than a century, the Festival has promoted music-making in and around Petersfield, bringing together local singers and instrumentalists of all ages to share the platform with visiting musicians of national and international standing.
Take part
Here’s further information relating to participating in 2025.
Local schools, orchestras, bands and choirs are at the heart of the Festival.
The following orchestras and choirs regularly perform in the Festival and are always interested in welcoming new members:
Basingstoke Symphony Orchestra
www.bso.org.uk
Conductor: Stephen Scotchmer
email secretary@bso.org.uk
Fernhurst Choral Society
www.fernhurstchoralsociety.org.uk
Conductor: Timothy Ravalde
Membership Secretary Tina Litchfield 01730 816542
Petersfield Choral Society
www.petersfieldchoralsociety.org.uk
Conductor: Mark Dancer
Secretary: Sue Upton 01730 302492
Petersfield Orchestra
www.petersfieldorchestra.org.uk
Conductor: Robin Browning
Secretary Louise Wilson 01420 474257
Rogate Choral Society
www.rogatechoralsociety.org.uk
Music Director: Giles White
Secretary Katharine Minchin 01730 813586
Experienced singers who can attend all the combined rehearsals are welcome as independent members of the Festival Chorus. Space permitting, the Festival welcomes other complete choirs to join the Festival Chorus. Please contact Sally Maybury, the Choir Secretary, via cmaybury@btinternet.com or on 01730 821541.
The two Youth concerts are a wonderful opportunity for young musicians from local schools to play together in combined choirs, jazz band, ensembles and of course PASSO (Petersfield Area Schools String Orchestra).
These have recently been joined by SOS from the Kids, our local choir of young environmentalists who rose to fame in Britain’s Got Talent and at COP26 in Glasgow.
The Festival is grateful to the music staff of Churcher’s College, Churcher’s College Junior School, Ditcham Park School, Froxfield C of E Primary School, Herne Junior School, Langrish Primary School, Liss Junior School, Sheet Primary School, Steep C of E Primary School, and The Petersfield School, who all took part in the Festival in March 2022.
Volunteer
Help to run the festival!
If you would like to get involved with the organisation and presentation of the annual Festival, whether as a committee member with specific responsibilities or as a behind-the-scenes helper, then we would be very pleased to hear from you.
In addition to the society’s formal trustees and officers, there are others behind the scenes who work in support of them — the box office, front of house team, publicity and choir secretary are all aided in this way and it’s a great way to contribute if you cannot offer a greater time commitment.
Help in setting up the Festival Hall in March each year is an area where a particularly useful contribution can be made, and the increasing age of some of our stalwart supporters makes the need for new recruits more acute. If you are more sales-minded then we welcome helpers who can handle the sale of programmes and other front-of-house work.
Get in touch by emailing info@petersfieldmusicalfestival.org.uk and we’ll be delighted to have you on board.
We are also much indebted to the Green A Team, a highly qualified and award-winning voluntary group who have for many years provided lighting and sound for events at the Festival Hall. They are always looking for new recruits, creating an opportunity if you are technically minded.
