Get Ready for a Spectacular Season Opener!
Southampton Philharmonic Choir
Southampton University Philharmonic Choir (SU Phil)
Southampton Primary Robins
Docklands Sinfonia
David Gibson conductor
Doors open at 1730 for the 1830 performance. (Please note the earlier than usual start-time.)
We are thrilled to start our 2024-25 season with an absolute blockbuster of a concert! Under the masterful baton of conductor David Gibson, a vast ensemble of singers and musicians will bring you some of the most popular classical music of the 20th century. Prepare to be dazzled by Carl Orff’s Carmina Burana and swept away by excerpts from Leonard Bernstein’s West Side Story.
The concert begins with the Bernstein, and such timeless favourites as Maria, In America, There’s a place for us, and Tonight (soloists to be announced) in their original scoring for the stage. After the interval, the performance space will be filled with even more talent as a children’s choir of some 100 primary school pupils from the City of Southampton joins us for the mighty Carmina Burana. The piece opens and closes with the iconic O, Fortuna!, a piece of music so ingrained in popular culture that it’s instantly recognizable to just about everyone, making this the perfect event to introduce friends and family to the magic of live classical music.
Our orchestra for this unforgettable night is the London-based, fully-professional Docklands Sinfonia, which features some of the finest instrumentalists in the Capital. If you were there for our performance of A Sea Symphony last December, you already know the extraordinary quality they bring. And get ready for the thunderous percussion section that Carmina Burana demands – expect plenty of (intentional) bangs and crashes!
The adult chorus will be a powerful combination of the Southampton Philharmonic Choir and the Southampton University Philharmonic Choir (affectionately known as “SU Phil”). Our choirs have been making music together since 1965, blending fresh, young voices with seasoned talent for a dynamic and vibrant sound.
Finally, we are especially excited to feature a children’s choir composed of over 100 local primary school pupils from the City of Southampton – Southampton Primary Robins. These young singers are part of the nationwide Primary Robins project – founded and funded by Pimlico Opera – which aims to provide weekly singing lessons to every pupil in the class. They are coached by the SPC’s own Musical Director, who has been closely involved in the Primary Robins project since its inception. We extend our heartfelt thanks to Pimlico Opera and Primary Robins for their invaluable support.
Tickets now on sale! Don’t miss out on this extraordinary concert experience – mark your calendars and get ready for an evening of unforgettable music!
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