Spotlight on Petersfield Musical Festival

Karen Neville

Book your tickets for this year’s Petersfield Musical Festival, eight days of spectacular performances from talented musicians, March 14^th – 22nd

The 2025 Petersfield Musical Festival promises a rich array of musical entertainment including two full-scale choral works, an opera, a family concert, Chamber choir, a brass band and the Hampshire Police Male Voice choir. 

The eight-day Festival starts on Friday, 14th March and continues until Saturday 22nd; it showcases nine concerts involving hundreds of singers and performers, 10 soloists and eight different conductors or musical directors. PMF is a registered charity with a mission to promote high quality music in the community and provide a platform for promising new talent by funding student musicians in various stages of their careers.  

Most concerts will take place in the Festival Hall, a purpose-built concert hall which is the envy of many larger towns and cities in the area. However more intimate chamber concerts will be held in St Peter’s Church, including Vox Cantab directed by Louisa Denby, a former Churcher’s student (19th March). There will also be a lunch-time recital in the Church by recipients of a grant from the MHFYM (Michael Hurd Fund for Young Musicians) – up and coming young students who have been helped in their musical journey by a bursary towards buying an instrument or attending a course.  

Book-ending the Festival will be two flagship choral concerts which bring together local choirs from Rogate, Fernhurst, Petersfield together with independent singers. The first (14th March) features Vivaldi’s ever popular Gloria, Corelli’s Christmas Concerto, combined with Haydn’s ‘Creation’ Mass. Paul Spicer will conduct Southern Pro Musica. Highlight of the final concert (22nd March) is Vaughan Williams’ powerful plea for peace, Dona Nobis Pacem, also conducted by Paul Spicer.  

Petersfield Orchestra takes the stage on Thursday, 20th March under the baton of Robin Browning with a concert of classical war-horses, Beethoven’s Piano Concerto No.5, (Emperor), and Shostakovich’s Symphony No. 10.  

There is bound to be fun for all at this year’s Family Concert with the theme Dancing through the Movies – children can come dressed as their favourite film character and there will be music from Harry Potter and Sleeping Beauty. In addition, the Youth concerts give centre stage to up-and-coming school children who will be showing off their skills through song and instrumental pieces to include Matilda, Simon & Garfunkel and Flanders and Swann.