More than £800 has been raised for Pompey in the Community following the orchestra’s charity concert for the 125th anniversary of Portsmouth FC on December 10, which featured the world premiere of the Pompey Overture, especially created to mark the occasion.
Composed by conductor Hugh Carpenter, the overture’s principal melody is jaunty and catchy, with some refrains which will be very familiar to the club’s supporters woven into the mix.
Attended by Pompey Legend Alan Knight MBE, the Lord Mayor of Portsmouth, Tom Coles and Portsmouth North MP Penny Mordaunt, the concert at the Church of the Resurrection, Drayton was attended by around 100 people. A gallery of photos from the concert is available here.
Orchestra Chair Di Lloyd said: “We were delighted with the amount raised for Pompey in the Community and really pleased that we were given this opportunity by the club to celebrate the 125th anniversary.
“Quite a few of the orchestra members and supporters are also fans of the club and it was great to see Pompey shirts and scarves on display at the concert. Quite a few people have been introduced to the orchestra through this event, which is great for us.”
Colin Farmery, who chairs the club’s 125th anniversary steering committee, added: “One of the remits of the 125th anniversary is to reach out to cultural touch points across the region, so we were delighted when Hugh agreed to compose this piece to mark the anniversary. I’m not sure a football club has ever had an overture composed in its honour, so this could well be another Pompey first.”
The orchestra, which is supported by Bishops Printers, has raised more than £20,000 for local good causes since it was founded in 2009. Its next concert is at the Church of the Resurrection on Sunday March 24 at 3pm, and will feature soloist Catherine Lawlor playing Kabalevsky’s violin concerto in C Major. Tickets will go on sale in February.
Watch Hugh Carpenter explain the inspiration behind the Pompey Overture and its performance by the orchestra, as well as reactions from Alan Knight, Penny Mordaunt, the Lord Mayor and Clare Martin MBE from Pompey in the Community.