Past Concerts
How it all began…..
William Edmund Green had a great love of music; a keen violinist and a member of the band of the Fifth Hants Regiment. His most outstanding musical activities were in the field of community music. He had a long association with Lake Road Baptist Church he was President and teacher, but also in 1865 he formed a choir in connection with the Church’s Band of Hope, and later a Tonic Sol-fa choir. His name seems to have been synonymous with those of his choirs, the Portsmouth Temperance Choral Union became an entity and known to friends and admirers as ‘Green’s Choir’ and Green’s Choir had always been ‘going strong’. The greatest weight of evidence seems to suggest that it was in 1880 that PTCU was officially born.
PTCU began its life in Lake Road Baptist Church and this remained its rehearsal centre until it was destroyed in 1941. Green’s vision is summed up in the choir’s motto, ‘Too impress, you must be impressed.’ (from – One Hundred Years of Music Making – A Short History of the Portsmouth Choral Union)
1880 – 1932
Under Green’s baton the choir often took part in rallies, gatherings and competitive festivals. The PCTU also took part in the Welsh national Eisteddfod, and began a much-loved tradition of performances of Handel’s Messiah on Good Fridays. In 1919, Green was presented with a pocket book and cheque in recognition of 25 years’ consecutive years conducting of these concerts. William Green was clearly responsible for instilling dedication and high standards in musical performance in his choir, and his 42 years with them, the longest conductorship the choir has known, gave it the strong beginning which was to enable it not only to survive but also to develop in the years ahead.
Thomas Platter had been secretary of the PTCU since 1903; he became conductor in 1922 following the death of Green. He worked with PTCU with great personal dedication until his sudden death in 1926, when he was only 44.
Phillip Dore, grandson of Green succeeded Plater as conductor, and Plater’s niece, Evelyn Barker, was appointed the choir’s accompanist in 1932 and remained in post until her death in 1979.
(from – One Hundred Years of Music Making – A Short History of the Portsmouth Choral Union)
To View Concert information 1880 – 1932, Click Below
The Changing Image 1932 – 1961
In 1926, Bertram Bradshaw was appointed as a teacher of Music and French at Portsmouth’s Northern Grammar School and quickly made an impression on the musical life of the city. In 1933 he took on two positions, Musical Director of the Portsmouth Players, and conductor of the Portsmouth Choral Union. He was conductor until 1962 when his sudden death occurred. Bradshaw was responsible for developing the PCU into the form of the orthodox urban choral society from its evangelical origins. During his period of conductorship, the choir was successful in local festivals, he continued the tradition of Messiah performances every Good Friday and he introduced a very popular annual event in the form of the Christmas Concert. He subsidised less popular artistic ventures with the popular Carols, fundraising events and Arts Council and NFMS grants.
Bradshaw invited established singers to perform with PCU – Elsie Suddaby, Isobel Baillie, Amy Shuard, Marion Studholme and Janet Baker.
After World War II, the choir reformed with the loss of Lake Road Baptist Church and its performance venue, the Guildhall. Various school and college halls around the city were used until the reopening of the Guildhall in 1959 when PCU gave its 67th performance of Handel’s Messiah.
Bradshaw introduced PCU to Bach’s St Matthew Passion and it was this work that was performed at the Guildhall on 8 April 1962 in his memory.
(from: One Hundred Years of Music Making – A Short History of the Portsmouth Choral Union)
To View Concert Information 1932 – 1961, Click Below
The Challenge of Contemporary Music 1962 – 1975
A few unsettled years followed the death of Bradshaw. Peter Craddock, then deputy conductor acted as occasional conductor as did Carey Humphreys, a prominent local organist. Carey Humphreys conducted the highly successful performance of Beethoven’s Ninth Symphony with professional orchestra Duisburg Symphony Orchestra to great acclaim.
In 1964 Hugh Davis was appointed. He gave the choir 10 years of service which contributed greatly to its musical development. Davis was assistant organist at Portsmouth Anglican Cathedral; a lecturer at Portsmouth College; Director of Music at Leys School, Cambridge; conductor of the Bach Choir. Now, the need to attract audiences and impress critics as well as perform satisfying works has become a pressured task. Live music, from amateurs has a high standard to achieve! Under Davis, there was a dramatic widening of the repertoire to include contemporary music. Davis retired in 1974 following a performance of Orff’s Carmina Burana.
From April 1974 David Williams was asked to take over. Williams followed the concerts planned by Davis, all of which were unfamiliar to the choir. His potential time with PCU was cut short due to his appointment to Latymer School and so PCU advertised in the national press for a new conductor.
(from: 1880 – 2005 One Hundred and Twenty-Five Years of Music Making – A Short History of Portsmouth Choral Union)
To View Concert Information 1962 – 1975, Click Below
The Continuing Pleasure of Singing June 1975 – 2012
Jonathan Willcocks, who had been appointed as director of music at Portsmouth Grammar School, was appointed after rehearsing the choir for its next concert, St Matthew Passion. His selection clearly underlined the choir’s preference for specialist training and experience in musical leadership. In 2005, the 125th anniversary of the foundation of PCU, Willcocks became the second longest-serving conductor, having conducted over 130 concerts, more than any of his predecessors. By, 2012 he had conducted at least 180 concerts for PCU!
From the start Willcocks pursued higher standards of performance by such means as greater formality in auditioning both new and serving members of the choir. He widened the field of orchestral players employed by the choir. Since 1980, PCU has had Southern Pro Musica as its regular orchestra. Willcocks placed an emphasis on the great 20th century British composers e.g. Elgar, Walton, Vaughan-Williams. It is a testament to Willcocks’ contribution to PCU that throughout his conductorship he found the mix of works necessary to satisfy audiences, critics and choir members alike.
When the occasion allowed, PCU was able to engage international soloists like Catherine Wyn-Rogers, Robert Tear and Willard White. ‘Come and Sing’ charity concerts started in January 1999. The choir continued its regular co-operation with other societies e.g. Worcester Choral Society, Chichester Singers, Plymouth Choral Society.
A significant development during the late 1980’s was the decision to take member-funded concert tours outside British shores. The choir went to Bruges and Ghent (1994), USA (2000), Osterode, Germany (2003), Canada (2007). They became a source of much enjoyment, pride in performance and a force for cohesiveness among the choir.
However, the growing accessibilities of recorded and broadcast music and the emergence of other societies in the area made audiences increasingly difficult to attract. PCU’s response was to try to broaden its appeal. The choir took part in public events e.g. 50th Anniversary of D-Day (1994), International festival of the Sea (1998 and 2001)
The choir’s 125th Anniversary in 2005 coincided with the 200th anniversary of the Battle of Trafalgar. The year’s musical programme was appropriately nautical.
(from: 1880 – 2005 One Hundred and Twenty-Five Years of Music Making – A Short History of Portsmouth Choral Union)
To View Concert Information 1975 – 2012, Click Below
2012 – Present Day
Portsmouth Choral Union (PCU) was founded in 1880, originally as the Portsmouth Temperance Choral Union.
In 2012, the baton was passed to a new maestro, David Gostick, who also conducts the Medici Choir and the choir at St Bartholomew’s Smithfield. Under his direction, PCU’s performance of Jenkins’ The Armed Man received a standing ovation from a capacity audience. Other acclaimed performances directed by David since 2012 have included Schofield Te Deum (2012), Berlioz Te Deum (2015), Dove Arion and the Dolphin (2016) , Wesley Confitebor Tibi, Domine (2017), Vaughan Williams Sea Symphony (2018) performed in Portsmouth and Germany, Hummel crossing of the Red Sea (2019).
Performances and live rehearsals were suspended during the 2020-21 Covid pandemic, though a regular schedule of successful on line rehearsal and other activities were soon brought into play, and once restrictions were relaxed a little, some outdoor rehearsals were arranged and enjoyed by many of the choir’s members. Our first, post pandemic concert was a performance of Faure’s Requiem, followed in December by Bach’s Christmas Oratorio. A return to our annual ‘Come and Sing’ in took place in 2022 with an enjoyable workshop and semi-staged performance of HMS Pinafore. Our 2021-22 season closed with a concert celebrating the renovation of the St. Mary’s organ. The 2022-23 season will open with Rachmaninov’s Vespers.
It was with Southern Pro Musica, and joined by Claire Seaton, Susanne Holmes, Nicholas Sharratt and Jonathan Brown that PCU recorded Samuel Wesley’s Confitebor tibi, Domine. This world premiere recording was made possible by the legacy of choir member Marion Earll.
Other orchestras with which PCU has performed include the Royal Philharmonic, the Bournemouth Symphony, the Guildford Philharmonic and, in a frequent and particularly happy relationship, the Hampshire County Youth Orchestra. Further dimensions to the choir’s repertoire have been added by opportunities to perform with the Band of HM Royal Marines, notable amongst which were two occasions when the choir took part in the International Festival of the Sea. In 2015, the choir joined other local choirs in recording a CD to raise funds for the Portsmouth D-day Museum’s Transformation Project.
PCU tours abroad have taken the choir to internationally acclaimed music venues. A memorable tour of the USA included performances at New York’s Carnegie Hall and, in Hickory, North Carolina, with the Hickory Choral Society. Other overseas tour have taken the choir to, amongst others, Canada, France, Belgium, Germany and Italy. In the UK regular performance venues include St Mary’s Portsea, Portsmouth Guildhall, Cathedral Church of St Thomas, and the New Theatre Royal, which has proved an excellent venue for concerts featuring lighter music – such as West Side Story Suite and Ramirez Missa Criolla (2019). The choir has also sung at the Fairfield Hall, Croydon, and Anvil Concert Hall, Basingstoke and in the Cathedrals of Worcester, Salisbury and Derby. In 2015, the choir joined Guildford Choral and the Chichester Singers at the Royal Albert Hall in a performance of the Berlioz Te Deum. In 2018 the choir returned to Germany to perform Vaughan Williams’ Sea Symphony.
Many of the choir’s concerts have featured soloists of international repute, including Dame Janet Baker, Catherine Wyn-Rogers, Robert Tear and Sir Willard White. A particular feature of PCU’s repertoire is the regular inclusion of works involving young voices and particularly strong links have been formed with Castle Primary School, Portchester. This collaboration has led to notable performances of, amongst others, Carl Orff’s Carmina Burana, and Jonathan Dove’s Arion and the Dolphin.
To View Concert Information 2012 – present day, Click Below
