The Parish Church of St George the Martyr, Waterlooville
Waterlooville Music Festival takes place at St George’s Church from 13th to 21st June. The aim of this week is to bring music into St. George’s Church and into the centre of Waterlooville, for the whole community to enjoy. This year is no exception. Together with Waterlooville Business Association’s ‘Market Place Music’ on the first day of the Festival, you are invited to over 50 concerts, featuring soloists, choirs, instrumental groups and orchestras.
It’s really good that once again local schools are taking part in the Festival. Students are performing at lunchtimes and in the afternoons and children are invited to a recorder workshop and the ever popular workshop featuring the African Drums. To celebrate our tenth year the festival opens with a gala concert featuring the nationally renowned Royal Marines Association Concert Band. On Sunday the Festival Scratch Choir is joined by Wyndcliffe Voices with some beautiful vocal classics. The vocal theme continues on Monday with AChoired Taste and South African spirituals from Kopanang who were such a hit at the festival a couple of years ago. On Tuesday it’s a traditional brass band in the form of Denmead Brass and then we change to a cabaret style layout with tables and chairs, and dance floor ready for Wednesday’s Folk & Ale Night featuring the footstomping Celtic music of Revel Weird and Wild who are joined by Portsmouth Shantymen. Thursday brings the much demanded return of the always hugely entertaining Hampshire Guitar Orchestra joined by Havant Clarinet and Saxophone Choir. The final two concerts on Friday 19th and Saturday 20th are sold out. Tickets for all the evening concerts are set at very reasonable prices and, with exception of Saturdays, include an interval drink from the bar.
But remember that the festival is on all day, and there are many daytime events of a professional standard to enjoy, all of which are free of charge. An important aspect of the festival is that it gives the rare opportunity for students of local schools to show their musical talents to a public audience, and many of our schools will be presenting concerts during the festival week. Other daytime highlights are the lunchtime drumming workshop by Noah on Monday, which gives anyone the opportunity to learn and to play the African drums. On Tuesday lunchtime Oaklands School will be with us, this concert always brings a remarkable standard of talent and is not to be missed. On Wednesday morning over coffee we have a true professional in the multi-
Thursday is special as it marks the 200th anniversary, to the day, of the town of Waterlooville, being the date of the Battle of Waterloo (1815). To mark this occasion, the festival has organised a performance from HMS Nelson Saxophone Quartet who will be in Waterlooville Precinct from 10am to 11.30am. Mid-
After this, please be sure to return to St George’s Church for the lunchtime concert that will be given on the newly restored organ by David Cain a very well known local organist and secretary of Portsmouth and District Organists Association.
On Friday, the morning and lunchtime concerts are provided by Bourne Community College under the direction of Don Lloyd who also directs our Last Night of the Proms -
Saturday 20th lunchtime brings the talent of local rock bands with Bands on the Lawn and again there is an exciting line up of free entertainment planned to mark the Festival’s tenth anniversary.
Please support Waterlooville Music Festival, come and enjoy the many events that are taking place.
Festival 2015