Make it a musical Christmas

2017 has been a fantastic year for music in the city, with some superb performances by (and for) young people and a great diversity of music on offer from Peterborough’s excellent range of music venues

For most of us music will play a massive part of our Christmas festivities, with carol concerts and services, the city centre light switch on, local pantos, family gatherings and office parties all featuring music as a vital ingredient of the magic of the season. Be sure to head to Peterborough Cathedral at some point as the choir always shines at Christmas, singing a full programme of music throughout December – visit: peterboroughcathedral. org.uk for details.

Of course you can make it a really musical Christmas by putting something musical on your wish list to Santa or by giving a musical gift to family and friends. Musical instruments, membership of the Peterborough Centre for Young Musicians, tickets to live music events and music lessons all make excellent presents. Christmas is also a great time for charitable giving of course. So if you decide not to send cards, or give gifts this year but make a donation to charity instead, then Peterborough has a range of music charities and groups that would really benefit from your festive contributions – a gift that will support their work throughout the coming year. Peterborough Youth Orchestra, the Peterborough Music Festival, the City of Peterborough Symphony Orchestra (and others) would all benefit from the generosity of patrons, supporting their work and contribution to music making in Peterborough. And with a New Year’s resolution to see more live music in 2018, the Peterborough music scene can be better than ever.

This month’s Music section is full of ideas for you to experience and enjoy. www.peterboroughmusichub.org.uk

New Community Orchestra for the New Year
Peterborough Youth Orchestra specialises in work for young people, with its annual workshop programme catering for players up to the age of nineteen. However, from January 2018, PYO launches the Peterborough Community Orchestra, with an invitation to join extended to all instrumentalists aged 14+ (playing at grade 3 and above). Led by Robin Norman, the group will meet at Ken Stimpson Community School, each Wednesday evening during term time from 7pm-9pm. Sessions will cost £40.00 per term (with discounts for under 18’s, full-time students and Senior Citizens). The aim of the group is to provide a progression route for young players and to encourage family members and ‘out of practice’ players to come together and enjoy making music. It will provide a bridge between other local ensembles, with the emphasis on creating a group with a strong social element, having fun.

For further details email or visit www.facebook.com/PeterboroughCommunityOrchestra   

Peterborough Music Festival 2018
The 2018 Peterborough Music Festival starts its promotional campaign this autumn. Once again Peterborough Music Hub will support the New Youth Music Showcase competition (on Thursday 15 March), providing a fantastic opportunity for under 18’s writing new music to perform their work in public, receive feedback from an industry professional and compete for cash prizes. The 2018 Festival will also include world music classes and a Heritage (World Music) Celebration Concert.

Diary dates
● Main Festival dates 13 – 17 March at the Key Theatre
● On line entries opened in October
● Entries for main classes close on 24 January 2018
● Entries for the New Youth Music Showcase and Heritage Celebration events will close on 28 February 2018

For full details visit www.peterboroughmusicfestival.org

The Festival creates a superb vehicle for local businesses, offering a wide demographic, excellent footfall across the programme and high profile promotional opportunities throughout Festival week and the run up to the event. Further details are also on the website.

Sponsoring the Peterborough Music Festival The Peterborough Music Festival team has also created a sponsorship pack for the 2018 programme.

PYO Diary Dates
Peterborough Youth Orchestra has announced its workshop programme for 2018 with two sensational events next year. The group will first meet over the February half term (Saturday 10 and Sunday 11 February), with a weekend exploring Dvorak’s “Slavonic Dances.” The weekend costs just £30.00 per person and is open to instrumentalists playing at Grade 3+ and aged 18 years or under. The summer programme for 2018 is scheduled for Monday 6 – Friday 10 August (for PYO and PYO Too) and the Peterborough Youth Jazz Orchestra will meet from Monday 6 – Thursday 9 August inclusive. The theme for the summer programme is PYO at the Movies, with a fabulous programme of movie themes, some with a distinctly classical flavour. The 5 day course is just £75.00 for the week and the 4 day course is £60.00. The summer workshop week will also include another new group PYO ‘First Steps’ – for new players (Pre-Grade 3), providing a great introduction to group playing and performance.

For further information on all PYO events and application forms contact A limited number of bursaries are available for all PYO events.

The music plays on at St John’s, Cathedral Square  
Peterborough Vocal Collective continue with their series of autumn concerts
● 11 November: Quartets
● Both events start at 7.30pm
● Piccolo concert on Thursday 7 December at 10.30am featuring musicians from the City of Peterborough Concert Band.
● Carol Service – a traditional Festival of Nine Lessons and Carols. Sunday 17 December at 6.30pm.
● Full details of all the concerts can be found on the St John’s CIC website: stjohnscic.wordpress.com

Image: www.freepik.com/free-vector/vintage-background-of-angels-with-harps-and-trumpets_967622