THIS year’s Petersfield Musical Festival is one of contrasts and opens tonight (Friday) with Rock Choir groups from Petersfield and Alton plus Surrey singers from Camberley and Egham.
Performers in the Festival Hall will be led by Danny Gortler with guest soloist Sertari, who is in the London final of Soundwaves Music Competition, on March 18, and has released a record.
The first choral concert, Bach’s St John Passion with the Southern Pro Musica, soloists and members of Alton, Petersfield and Rogate choral societies and The Petersfield Choir, is tomorrow (Saturday) then there is a family concert, on Sunday. The festival’s venue switches to St Peter’s Church for Schubert’s Trout Quintet on March 13 and Timothy Rivalde’s organ recital the following day.
The festival’s second choral concert, on March 17, features Britten’s Rejoice in the Lamb and Mozart’s Requiem.
Festival conductor Paul Spicer said: “It is wonderful that the Midhurst Music Society is joining us again this year in these two works. It is one of the great strengths of the Petersfield Festival Chorus that it brings together a lot of great amateur singers to perform larger-scale works which they might not otherwise have the opportunity or resources to perform by themselves.”