About Us

The Portsmouth Philharmonic Orchestra was established in March 2009 by a small group of amateur musicians wanting to rehearse together on a regular basis. It was initially called the Portsmouth Philharmonia and the name was changed in 2017. Spence Bundy conducted the orchestra from its beginning until December 2014, before handing over the baton to Hugh Carpenter, who took over as Musical Director, having previously helped the orchestra out for many concerts on the tuba.  

Since 2009 we have grown in numbers and established a strong reputation within the local community. The orchestra aims to perform three charity concerts per year. The net proceeds of each concert go to a selected local charity, with members' subscriptions funding music hire,  rehearsal room hire and conductor's fees. More than £20,000 has been raised to date for a variety of local good causes including: Brain Tumour Research, QA Rheumatology Department, Pancreatic Cancer Research Fund, RNLI, Solent Diabetic Association, Samaritans, Roberts Centre, Hayling Island Community Centre, Meningitis Now, Tonic: Music for Mental Health, Stroke Association, Alzheimer's Society, Cystic Fibrosis Trust, Cavernoma Alliance UK, Hampshire and IoW Air Ambulance, Aurora New Dawn, The LifeHouse, One Foundation.

If you are interested in joining the orchestra contact us by email - enquiries@portsmouthphilharmonic.org  - to find out what our current vacancies are. We are an open-access orchestra and don't require an audition, however we do expect a commitment to rehearse regularly and practise pieces to ensure an acceptable standard of performance.  

 

COMMITTEE

Musical Director and Conductor - Hugh Carpenter 
Chair -  Di Lloyd 
Deputy Chair & Safeguarding Officer - Abi Mansfield
Secretary - Gill Harvey 
Treasurer - Sue Thornton 
Librarian - Elisabeth James
Leader of the Orchestra - Colin Wilkins 
Press & Media Enquiries - Colin Farmery /  colin@fcmedia.eu

Hugh Carpenter - Director and Conductor

COLLABORATIONS & PARTNERSHIPS

The orchestra has worked with a number of other local music groups on joint concerts including: 

Hayling Island Choir 

Meon Valley Orchestra 

Southsea Community Choir 

If you run a music group which would like to collaborate with the Portsmouth Philharmonic, email enquiries@portsmouthphilharmonic.org

CHARITIES WE SUPPORT

Every concert by the PPO raises money for charity. The individual charities chosen for each concert are selected by the committee at the start of each year and the net proceeds from ticket sales are given to that particular charity. Below is a list of charities we have supported.

Rowans Hospice, Victim Support Witness Service, British Heart Foundation, Marie Curie Cancer Care, Motor Neurone Disease, Alzheimer’s Society, Southampton Neonatal Unit, Waterlooville Food Bank, Naomi House, Ninewells Cancer Campaign, Macmillan Cancer Support, Cancer Research, Hayling Community Centre Roof Fund, Brain Tumour Research, QA Rheumatology Department, Pancreatic Cancer Research Fund, RNLI, Solent Diabetes Association, Roberts Centre, Samaritans, Meningitis Now, Tonic: Music for Mental Health, Stroke Association, Cystic Fibrosis Trust, Cavernoma Alliance UK

 

Safeguarding

The Portsmouth Philharmonic Orchestra is fully committed to protecting children and young people, as well as adults at risk. To read the PPO's safeguarding policy click here.