Annual music festivalkicks off in stylish fashion

The opening concert for this year’s festival was held on Sunday, February 5 at Portsmouth High School, in the presence of Flick Drummond, the MP for Portsmouth South.

The concert was given by performers who had all previously taken part in the festival for many years and then gone on to forge careers in the performing arts.

They were joined by two ensembles – The Havant Clarinet and Saxophone Choir and St John’s Chapel College Choir.

Performances from Louise Dearsley, sporano Ciara O’Connor and violinist Catherine Lawlor followed, all accompanied by local pianist Eunice Pike.

Karen Kingsley, a long time supporter of the festival, performed two solo piano compositions by Erik Satie.

She was then joined by Catherine Lawlor and Louise Dearsley in playing a Beethoven Piano Trio to great acclaim.

Karen is Head of Keyboard at Portsmouth Grammar School and has given many recitals throughout the country, both as a soloist and in chamber groups.

At the end of the concert Mrs Drummond opened the 2017 Portsmouth Music Festival.

She congratulated the performers, both for their performances and on their successful music careers.

She also thanked the organisers of the festival for their efforts in providing an opportunity for the young, and not so young, musicians, dancers and other performers to demonstrate their skills to professional adjudicators and to the public.

Portsmouth Music Festival treasurer Ian Frogley said it was the perfect way to start the 2017 festival.

He said: ‘Our opening concert was simply sensational, and we were absolutely delighted to welcome Flick Drummond to formally open this year’s festival.’

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