Welcome to the Cambridge Philharmonic 2024/25 season. After sell-out concerts last year, the orchestra and chorus are back with a bang, tackling some of the most titanic, heart-wrenching and thrilling pieces in the repertoire. We kick off our West Road season with a triptych of works exploring dance, poetry and jazz. Wynton Marsalis’ jazz concert opener – Herald, Holler and Hallelujah! – is paired with Stravinsky’s riotous The Rite of Spring, before orchestra and chorus are reunited for Rachmaninov’s epic choral symphony The Bells.
Next is a festive favourite, Tchaikovsky’s Nutcracker, in an abridged family-friendly concert version with narrator. What better way to get into the Christmas spirit than this timeless story and an hour of some of the best-loved tunes in the ballet repertoire?
Herald in the new year with an Ode to Joy – the rousing hymn that concludes Beethoven’s colossal and ground-breaking 9th Symphony – alongside a Mozart masterpiece; the witty, elegant and operatic Piano Concerto in A major.
In March, chorus and orchestra return to Saffron Hall to present one of the great works in the choral repertoire, Elgar’s The Dream of Gerontius, together with the University of East Anglia Chorus, directed by our wonderful chorus master Tom Primrose – whose Elijah last year was a triumph. Next up is Lucy’s Race to Space! Families, buckle up for a rip-roaring planetary adventure with our principal guest conductor Lucy Hollins. A great introduction to orchestral music for young ones!
In May, we are thrilled to present the world premiere of a new concerto for kamancheh and orchestra by Iranian composer and virtuoso Rouzbeh Parsa. The concert explores the theme of refuge and sanctuary; alongside Rouzbeh’s concerto we present Bartók’s Concerto for Orchestra and Jonathan Dove’s Odyssey, a powerful new music-drama which tells the story of a refugee on a perilous journey to seek safety in another country.
Finally, we return to Saffron Hall, in collaboration with the wonderful British Youth Opera, for Britten’s staggering war-time opera Peter Grimes, a tale of isolation, accusation, love and loss.
Harry Sever, Music Director
“The everbrilliant Cambridge Philharmonic Orchestra –our city’s very own LSO.”
Cambridge Critique
“The Cambridge Philharmonic … one of Cambridge’s great city institutions.”
Local Secrets
Saturday 9 November 2024 at 4pm
The Rite of Spring
Marsalis Herald, Holler and Hallelujah!
Rachmaninov The Bells
Stravinsky The Rite of Spring
West Road Concert Hall, Cambridge
Saturday 14 December 2024 at 2pm & 4pm
Tchaikovsky Nutcracker
West Road Concert Hall, Cambridge
Saturday 18 January 2025 at 4pm
Ode to Joy
Mozart Piano Concerto No.23
Beethoven Symphony No. 9
West Road Concert Hall, Cambridge
Saturday 1 March 2025 at 5pm
Elgar The Dream of Gerontius
Saffron Hall, Saffron Walden
Saturday 15 March 2025 at 2pm & 4pm
Family Concerts: Lucy’s Race to Space
Featuring Holst’s The Planets and much more West Road Concert Hall, Cambridge
Saturday 24 May 2025 at 7.30pm
Refuge
Rouzbeh Parsa Concerto for Kamancheh & Orchestra
Bartók Concerto for Orchestra
Dove Odyssey
Saffron Hall, Saffron Walden /CambridgePhil
West Road Concert Hall, Cambridge
Saturday 5 July 2025 at 4pm
Britten Peter Grimes
The Rite of Spring
Wynton Marsalis Herald, Holler & Hallelujah!
Sergei Rachmaninov The Bells
Igor Stravinsky The Rite of Spring
Cambridge Philharmonic Orchestra
Cambridge Philharmonic Chorus
Harry Sever conductor
Jenny Stafford soprano
Dominic Bevan tenor
Alistair Ollerenshaw baritone
Stravinsky’s ground-breaking Rite of Spring is forever associated with that riot at a Paris theatre in 1913. Supercharged rhythms and a mystical harmonic language coalesce to create a truly unique score that continues to shock and defy expectations.
Known as the ‘Pied Piper of Jazz’ and the ‘Doctor of Swing’, American jazz titan Wynton Marsalis performs and composes across the entire spectrum of jazz and has written jazzinfluenced chamber music and symphonic works for revered classical ensembles across the US and abroad. Herald, Holler and Hallelujah! is a fanfare for brass and percussion.
Rachmaninov’s vibrant setting of Edgar Allan Poe’s ‘poetic primitivism’ in The Bells offers a technicolour fantasy of words and music.
Saturday 14 December 2024 at 2pm and 4pm
Saturday 9 November 2024 at 4pm BOOK NOW: BOOK NOW:
Tickets: from £15
(concessions and free carers’ tickets available)
Pre-bookable programme £2
Book online: www.cambridgephilharmonic.com
Phone: 0333 666 3366 (fee applies)
West Road Concert Hall, Cambridge CB3 9DP
Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky Nutcracker A festive family fairytale!
Cambridge Philharmonic Orchestra
Cambridge Philharmonic Chorus
Harry Sever conductor
Anna Tolputt narrator
Wooden dolls that come to life!
A battle with the Mouse King!
A magic sleigh ride transporting you to a winter wonderland!
Experience it all this Christmas in this abridged, one-hour version of a festive favourite, with live narration.
A fairy-tale for all the family, and a unique opportunity to hear a concert performance of this classic Christmas story set to music with Tchaikovsky’s irresistible charm.
Tickets: from £12
Book online: www.cambridgephilharmonic.com
Phone: 0333 666 3366 (fee applies)
West Road Concert Hall, Cambridge CB3 9DP
Saturday 18 January 2025 at 4pm
Saturday 1 March 2025 at 5pm
Ode to Joy
Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart
BOOK NOW:
Edward
Elgar
Piano Concerto No.23 in A major, K488
Ludwig van Beethoven
Symphony No. 9
Esther Mallett soprano
Grace Wain mezzo-soprano
Nick Sharratt tenor
Mark Saberton baritone
Cambridge Philharmonic Orchestra
Cambridge Philharmonic Chorus
Harry Sever conductor & piano
A glorious combination of one of Mozart’s best-loved works and the towering masterpiece that is Beethoven’s last symphony makes this a completely unmissable evening. Cambridge Philharmonic’s Music Director Harry Sever directs Mozart’s Piano Concerto in A Major from the keyboard – a work that sparkles with light, laughter and love.
Beethoven’s 9th Symphony – written when the composer was completely deaf –continues to stagger audiences and musicians alike with its bold colours, epochdefining scale and heart-breaking humanity: a symphonic journey like no other. The work culminates in soloists and chorus declaiming words from Schiller’s An die Freude (Ode to joy), a paean to nature and friendship.
‘Seid umschlungen, Millionen! Diesen Kuss der ganzen Welt!’
‘Be embraced, all you millions! Share this kiss with all the world!’
Tickets: from £15 (concessions and free carers’ tickets available)
Pre-bookable programme £2
Book online: www.cambridgephilharmonic.com
Phone: 0333 666 3366 (fee applies)
West Road Concert Hall, Cambridge CB3 9DP
BOOK NOW:
The Dream of Gerontius
Cambridge Philharmonic Orchestra
Cambridge Philharmonic Chorus
University of East Anglia Choir
Tom Primrose conductor
Considered by many to be his finest work, Elgar’s setting of Cardinal Newman’s poem about a soul’s migration to his meeting with God showcases the fascinating and moving mixture of glory, self-doubt, yearning and insecurity that makes this greatest of English composers such a firm favourite. With its extraordinary choruses, beautiful solos and luxuriant orchestration The Dream of Gerontius is immersive perfection, beloved by players, singers and audiences alike.
Once again, the forces of the Cambridge Philharmonic chorus and orchestra will be joined by the University of East Anglia Choir in another epic collaboration with conductor Tom Primrose at the helm.
Adam Temple-Smith tenor
Armand Rabot baritone
Tickets: from £15 via Saffron Hall Box Office
Some concessions and free carers’ tickets available
Book online: www.saffronhall.com
Phone: 0845 548 7650
Saffron Hall, Saffron Walden CB11 4UH
Saturday 15 March 2025 at 2pm & 4pm
Saturday 24 May 2025 at 7.30pm
FAMILY CONCERT
Lucy’s Race to Space!
Cambridge Philharmonic Chorus
Cambridge Philharmonic Orchestra
Harry Sever conductor
Lucy Hollins presenter
Our Principal Guest Conductor
Lucy Hollins presents a magical tale to enchant children of all ages, weaving a story of space travel and adventure through some of the greatest music ever written.
Look out for John Adams’ Short Ride in a Fast Machine, a visit to Gustav Holst’s Planets, the iconic opening to Richard Strauss’ Also Sprach Zarathustra and a whole panoply of orchestral stunners. Entertainment and artistry, combined with Lucy’s inimitable charm and wit, makes for the perfect family outing.
Refuge
Rouzbeh Parsa
Concerto for Kamancheh and Orchestra
Béla Bartók
Concerto for Orchestra
Jonathan Dove Odyssey
A trio of works exploring the theme of sanctuary in this special concert to celebrate Cambridge’s refugee community, featuring the world premiere of a new Concerto for Kamancheh and Orchestra by Iranian composer and virtuoso Rouzbeh Parsa. Rouzbeh writes: “The Kamancheh is one of the oldest traditional instruments in Iranian music, and I’ve always wanted to write a concerto for Kamancheh and orchestra. I’m excited about blending Iranian music with other folk traditions. I listen to composers like Mendelssohn, Sibelius, Arvo Pärt - I feel such a connection to them and their folk roots.”
Francesca Chiejina soprano
John Gyeantey tenor
Rouzbeh Parsa kamancheh
Cambridge Philharmonic Orchestra
Cambridge Philharmonic Chorus
Harry Sever conductor
Tickets: from £12 (no concessions, free carers’ tickets available). Book online: www.cambridgephilharmonic.com
Phone: 0333 666 3366 (fee applies)
Lucy Hollins conductor West Road Concert Hall, Cambridge CB3 9DP West Road Concert Hall, Cambridge CB3 9DP
BOOK NOW:
Jonathan Dove’s powerful cantata Odyssey celebrates the extraordinary bravery and resilience of refugees fleeing from persecution and suffering. While the Concerto for Orchestra by Béla Bartók, himself a refugee, is a joyful, energetic and always brilliant work.
Tickets: from £15 (concessions and free carers’ tickets available)
Pre-bookable programme £2
Book online: www.cambridgephilharmonic.com
Phone: 0333 666 3366 (fee applies)
BOOK NOW:
Benjamin Britten
Peter Grimes
Cambridge Philharmonic Orchestra
Cambridge Philharmonic Chorus
Harry Sever conductor
Soloists from British Youth Opera
Thank you
We are very grateful to The Pye Foundation and the Garfield Weston Foundation for their generous support of our successful school outreach projects. The work commissioned from composer Rouzbeh Parsa for the Refuge concert is generously supported by four anonymous donors.
We warmly thank our Philharmonic Friends and we welcome corporate sponsors, for whom we offer bespoke sponsorship packages.
For ways to support Cambridge Philharmonic see: www.cambridgephilharmonic.com/support-us
Join us!
When Benjamin Britten read George Crabbe’s poem The Borough, it sparked in him the idea for one of the greatest operas written in the English language, his timeless Peter Grimes. From the troubled setting of the Suffolk coast – and the eponymous anti-hero’s relationship to the gossip-fuelled village – Britten weaves music of beauty, intricacy, humour and incredible humanity.
British Youth Opera brings a cast of up-and-coming singers to this semistaged performance at Saffron Hall – a great opportunity for audiences to hear the stars of tomorrow in the making!
Tickets: from £15 via Saffron Hall Box Office (some concessions and free carers’ tickets available) Book online: www.saffronhall.com Phone: 0845 548 7650
BOOK NOW:
Are you a singer or orchestral musician looking for a new creative challenge? We are keen to welcome new members to the Chorus and Orchestra.
We rehearse weekly during term time (Orchestra on Mondays, Chorus on Tuesdays) and perform in the best concert venues in and around Cambridge. Once you’ve sung or played with us for a few weeks, you’ll be asked to audition. Members pay an annual subscription.
As well as pushing ourselves to perform at the highest standard, we enjoy the social side of making music together – and we’d love to meet you!
Please visit cambridgephilharmonic.com/join-us to find out more.
BECOME A CAMBRIDGE PHILHARMONIC FRIEND AND JOIN A WORLD OF MUSICAL MAGIC!
As a Philharmonic Friend you will support our cherished ambition of keeping top quality music at the heart of our wonderful and vibrant community. You will hear all the ‘behind the scenes’ news of current and future projects, enjoy 10% discount on the season’s concert tickets, and have opportunities to meet our conductors, principal players and guest artists at pre-concert and social events.
Most of all, as a Philharmonic Friend, you will be joining our musical family, comprising a range of instrumentalists and singers of all ages and walks of life.
For an investment of just £50 per season you will receive the following benefits...
• A 10% ticket discount on advance bookings throughout the season
• Acknowledgement as a Friend in programmes and on the website
• A regular newsletter about the Phil and upcoming concerts
• Invitations to concert receptions
• Opportunities to meet conductors, soloists, players and singers from the Phil and fellow Friends
