Past Concerts

19 events to display

The Rest is Music

Sun, 6 Jul 2025

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

Poland and Paris

Sun, 2 Mar 2025

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

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’

Skandinavian Skies

Sun, 24 Nov 2024

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

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

Celebration of Fanny and Felix Mendelssohn.

Sun, 30 Jun 2024

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:

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

Disparate Pictures

Sun, 10 Mar 2024

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

A Musical Farewell

Sun, 26 Nov 2023

Andrew Lowen, Musical Director of the Canterbury Orchestra conducts his final concert with the orchestra.

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