The Portsmouth Philharmonic Orchestra was established in March 2009 by a small group of amateur musicians wanting to rehearse together on a regular basis. It was initially called the Portsmouth Philharmonia and the name was changed in 2017. Spence Bundy conducted the orchestra from its beginning until December 2014, before handing over the baton to Hugh Carpenter, who took over as Musical Director, having previously helped the orchestra out for many concerts on the tuba.  

Since 2009 we have grown in numbers and established a strong reputation within the local community. The orchestra aims to perform three charity concerts per year. The net proceeds of each concert go to a selected local charity, with members' subscriptions funding music hire,  rehearsal room hire and conductor's fees. More than £15,000 has been raised to date for a variety of local good causes including: The Roberts Centre, The Samaritans, The RNLI, Hayling Island Community Centre, The Ninewells Cancer Campaign, Brain Tumour Research, Pancreatic Cancer Research Fund, Meningitis Now, Solent Diabetic Association, QA Rheumatology Department and Tonic: Music for Mental Health.  

If you are interested in joining the orchestra contact us by email - enquiries@portsmouthphilharmonic.org  - to find out what our current vacancies are. We are an open-access orchestra and don't require an audition, however we do expect a commitment to rehearse regularly and practise pieces to ensure an acceptable standard of performance.  

Leader: Colin Wilkins

Committee Chair: Di Lloyd

Musical Director: Hugh Carpenter

Press & PR enquiries: Colin Farmery / colin@fcmedia.eu

Full list of Directors & Administrators is found at www.portsmouthphilharmonic.org