Our orchestra and choir are now on a much deserved summer break after our final concert last Saturday. The concert opened with To the Hills, composed by our founder Christopher Brown and performed for his 80th birthday. We are so pleased that Chris was able to join us for the occasion and to congratulate Jenny Robertshaw and Kay Coope for their long-standing service to the society. The first half closed with conductor Michael Karcher-Young challenging the orchestra to a very energetic Romeo & Juliet overture indeed, a performance of which was certainly deserving of an interval refreshment!
For this end-of-year spectacular, we joined forces with St Ives Choral Society to bring Carl Orff’s enormous Carmina Burana to Huntingdonshire and suffice to say we raised the temperature of the auditorium by several degrees at least! As our Chairwoman Bronwen Rayner remarked, it was a “very warm welcome indeed” with our wonderful audience matching our enthusiasm for this spicy and lively repertoire. We were thrilled to partner with St Ives Choral Society and we thoroughly enjoyed the collaboration. St Ives were not without their musical director Charne Rochford for this performance, he was very close by indeed, singing solo baritone along with Greg Tassell (tenor) and Milana Sarukhanyan (Soprano). This concert marked the end of Charne’s time with St Ives Choral society and we wish him the best of luck in his new adventures. Charne’s powerful voice did not disappoint; his drinking song was marvellous, Greg entertained us all with his performance of The Roasted Swan in full swan costume, and we will not be forgetting Milana’s beautiful upper register in a hurry!
It was our privilege to perform to a packed auditorium, standing ovations and such an enthusiastic audience.
“It was amazing, so brilliant!”
Audience Member
The Hunts Phil extend their congratulations to Michael Karcher-Young (conductor) on his very first full year at the helm of Huntingdonshire Philharmonic. We offer our thanks to Cathryn Neuhauser for her continued leadership of the orchestra.
Stay tuned over the summer as we announce our 2023-24 season.
