SouthseaScene

Violinist Tamsin Waley-Cohen was in concert at Portsmouth Guildhall last night with pianist James Baillieu.  Tamsin gave a superb rendition of Prokofiev's Violin Sonata No. 1; strong, angry and despairing. It was emotional and stunning at the same time. The memory of this concert will linger for months. In contrast, the C.P.E. Bach pieces were light and capricious in parts. It was a delight to hear the pieces. One audience members said the music was intriguing and surprising, while the Schubert Sonata was subtle and warm.  Each piece was full of fireworks! It was a wonderful concert and we felt privileged to be there.  The rest of the Portsmouth Chamber Music season includes: Ensemble 360 - 29 January Gould Piano Trio and Robert Plane - 19 March Marmen Quartet - 16 April More details from Portsmouth Guildhall

The University of Portsmouth Choir performs at St Mary's Church this Saturday 2nd December under the direction of conductor Thomas Neal. The choir will be singing Britten's St Nicolas. The piece was written in 1948 for the centennial celebrations of Lancing College in Sussex. The text to was written by Eric Crozier, and it details the life of St Nicolas, his miraculous birth and his journey to become the Bishop of Myra, a pilgrimage destination for Byzantine Christians in Turkey. The University of Portsmouth Choir performs at St Mary’s fresh from their highly successful fundraising concert in March, in which they raised thousands of pounds for local charities, including the St Mary’s Music Foundation. The Solent Symphony, which celebrates their 25th anniversary this year, will once again be accompanying the choir. The tenor part will be sung by Dominic Bevan , a postgraduate diploma student at the Royal College of Music. Choral conductor Thomas Neal is a music teacher at the P

In just 15 days, the largest Christmas festival on the south coast is set to return when Portsmouth Historic Dockyard welcomes back the ever-popular Victorian Festival of Christmas. The f estival is the perfect way to kick off seasonal celebrations. You will be transported to a bygone era where a cast of colourful characters roam the snow-covered cobbled streets. Rub shoulders with a medley of street entertainers, enjoy seasonal refreshments and browse over 150 stalls for perfect gift ideas.   E ncounter the ever-popular traditional Father Christmas dressed in green, see Scrooge in his hand-drawn carriage, bump into young chimney sweeps, and enjoy street performances from Victorian magicians and musicians. To top it off, there will be a 35-foot Christmas tree alongside HMS Victory.   Historic parts of the dockyard will be transformed into a Victorian-style street, complete with coffin measurers, ladies of the night, street urchins, market sellers and many more.  This