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. Almost £19,000 has been raised to date for a variety of local good causes including: the Roberts Centre, the Samaritans, the RNLI, Hayling Island Community Centre, the Ninewells Cancer Campaign, Brain Tumour Research, Pancreatic Cancer Research Fund, Meningitis Now, Solent Diabetic Association, QA Rheumatology Department, Tonic: Music for Mental Health, the Stroke Association, the Alzheimer's Society and the Cystic Fibrosis Trust.
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.