Past Concerts

Join the Canterbury Symphony Orchestra for an unforgettable evening of music, under the baton of Joe Davies, an up-and-coming, supremely talented conductor already making waves across the UK. With his dynamic energy and insightful musical leadership, Davies brings fresh intensity and clarity to every performance.

This concert features the biting brilliance of Shostakovich’s Symphony No. 9, bursting with character and satire, and the sweeping emotional power of Samuel Barber’s Violin Concerto, brought to life by the outstanding soloist Jessica Meakin.

Jessica Meakin is recognised as a dynamic, versatile, and sought-after young artist. Her rich experience spans orchestral, chamber, session, and musical theatre work, and she brings exceptional poise, expressive depth, and captivating musicality to every performance. Her interpretation of Barber’s hauntingly beautiful concerto promises to be a true highlight of the evening.

More than just a performance, this is a celebration of the remarkable musical talent flourishing here in Canterbury. The CSO is your local orchestra – professional, passionate, and performing at an exceptional standard.

Soloist  Jessica Meakin Violin

Joe Davies  Conductor

Floriane Peycelon  Leader

Programme

Elizabeth Winters  The Serious Side of Madness

Samuel Barber   Violin Concerto

Interval

Dmitri Shostakovich  Symphony no. 9

Local soloist Emily Hopper joins Canterbury Symphony Orchestra for a concert that celebrates the two homes of Frédéric François Chopin: Poland and Paris. From the soaring melodies of Tchaikovsky’s ‘Polish’ Symphony to the thrilling complexities of Witold Lutosławski, this concert takes you on a kaleidoscopic journey across Europe.

Soloist: Emily Hopper Harp

Joe Davies  Conductor

Floriane Peycelon  Leader

Programme

Witold Lutosławski  Musique funèbre

Frédéric Chopin  Prelude no. 15 in Db Major ‘Raindrop Prelude’ 

Camille Saint Saëns  Morceau de Concert

Interval

Pyotr Tchaikovsky  Symphony no. 3 ‘Polish’

Canterbury Symphony Orchestra welcome local soloist George Needham for a performance of Grieg’s immortal Piano Concerto, accompanied by celebrations of Iceland, Denmark, Finland, and Estonia.

Soloist: George Needham  Piano

Joe Davies  Conductor

Floriane Peycelon  Leader

Programme:

Carl Nielson  Saga-Drøm (Saga Dream)

Edvard Grieg  Piano Concerto in A Minor

Arvo Pärt  Cantus in memoriam Benjamin Britten

Interval 

Jean Sibelius  Symphony No. 3

Featuring their leader, Floriane Peycelon and Cora Hewitt, winner of the Canterbury Festival 2023 Young Musician’s Bursary Competition as soloists. Mendelssohn’s Violin Concerto is at the centre of the programme: enigmatic and virtuosic in equal measure, the work forms an intriguing partner to the composer’s ‘Italian’ Symphony which brings the programme to a close. The concert includes arrangements of Fanny Mendelssohn’s Notturno in G minor and Pastorello in A major, with Vivaldi’s Recorder Concerto ‘La Notte’ completing the programme.

Both child prodigies, both heroes of their time, this concert celebrates the genius of Mendelssohn and Mendelssohn.

The Canterbury Orchestra

Soloists:

Floriane Peycelon – violin

Cora Hewitt  – Canterbury Festival Young Musician 2023 – Recorder

Programme:

Fanny Mendelssohn Hensel arr. Davies – Notturno in G minor

Vivaldi – Recorder Concerto ‘La Notte’

Mendelssohn – Violin Concerto

Interval

Fanny Mendelssohn Hensel arr. Davies – Pastorello in A major

Mendelssohn – Symphony no. 4 ‘Italian

From Georgian London to modern-day Ukraine, from the Austrian Alps to the British night sky, the Canterbury Orchestra perform a quartet of pieces that celebrate landscapes, portray places, and pray for peace.

Brahms’s Second Symphony is paired with Howard Skempton’s Sirens, with themes of space and structure at their heart. Kaminsky’s Te Deum, which symbolises the passing of time in wartime Ukraine, is followed by Haydn’s Symphony no. 101: ‘The Clock’. Four works, all so different and yet so similar: ‘Disparate Pictures’ is a must-see musical journey.

Programme

Viktor Kaminsky – Te Deum

Haydn – Symphony no. 101 ‘The Clock’

Howard Skempton – Sirens

Brahms – Symphony no. 2

• Ludwig Van Beethoven (1770-1827)  “Les Adieux” (arr. Lowen)
• Sir Edward Elgar (1857-1934) Angel’s Farewell from The Dream of Gerontius, Op.38
• Joseph Haydn (1732-1809) Symphony No. 45 in F# minor, the “Farewell” Symphony
• Johannes Brahms (1833-1897) Symphony No.1 in C minor, Op.68

• Gabriel Faure - Masques et Bergamasques Op.112
• Henri Duparc - Songs with Orchestra
• Louise Farrenc - Symphony No. 3

• Sergei Rachmaninov - Vocalise
• Sergei Rachmaninov - Piano Concerto No.2
• Antonin Dvorak - Symphony No.9 From the New World

• Sousa: Stars and Stripes Forever
• Gershwin: Rhapsody in Blue and Porgy and Bess Suite
• Copland: Four Dance Interludes from Rodeo and John Henry
• John Williams arr. Robert Smith: Star Wars Epic II
• Philip Glass: Company
• Bernstein arr. Mason: West Side Story Selection

• Excerpts from Swan Lake (Act 1)
• Symphony No.5

• Schubert: 4th Symphony
• Dvorak: Czech Suite
• Brahms: St Anthony Variations

• Haydn: Notturno no.4
• Mozart: Divertimento K136, Symphony No.31 The Paris
• Beethoven: Symphony No.7

• Prokofiev: Montagues & Capulets from Romeo and Juliet
• Shostakovich: 2nd Piano Concerto 
• Tchaikovsky: Symphony No.4

• Schumann: Overture, Scherzo & Finale
• Hummel :Trumpet concert
• Haydn: Symphony No.103 in E flat

• Grieg: Wedding Day at Troldhaugen
• Tchaikovsky: Violin Concerto
• Dvorak: Symphony No.8

• Mozart: Magic Flute Overture
• Dvorak: Cello Concerto
• Beethoven: Symphony No.5

• Ravel: Pavane pour une infante defaunte
• Saint-Saens: Carnival of the Animals
• Faure: Sicilienne
• Debussy: Petite Suite
• Ravel: Mother Goose Suite

• Wagner: Oversture to The Mastersingers
• Brahms: Alto Rhapsody
• Vaughan Williams: Serenace to Music
• Britten Hymn to St Cecilia
• Elgar: Enigma Variations

• Glinka: Overture to Ruslan and Ludmilla
• Rachmaninov: Rhapsody on a Them by Paganini
• Mussorgsky: Pictures at an Exhibition