Southern Pro Musica Expands Its Footprint in Chichester

With artistic and musical direction from Jonathan Willcocks, the event includes Mendelssohn’s Italian Symphony, Rodrigo’s Concierto d’Aranjuez performed by guitarist Amanda Cook, along with Beethoven’s Symphony No. 8. You can purchase tickets via this link. https://www.southernpromusica.org/

Southern Pro Musica has been active for 35 years, performing throughout southern England," explains Jonathan. "They've grown into the premier freelance professional orchestra in the region. Typically, our performances involve collaborations with choirs or occur at Chichester Festival Theatre, where we host children's shows. However, it occurred to us that Chichester lacks consistent professional orchestral events. So, two years ago, we took the initiative and organized an orchestral performance at St Paul’s, known for its excellent acoustics. The event was successful, prompting us to hold another one last year. This marks our third consecutive concert in the series at St Paul’s.

It’s an excellent venue with great sightlines. While it isn’t enormous, this limitation actually suits our needs perfectly for performances like those by Southern Pro Musica; they work exceptionally well within these confines. The acoustics here are fantastic—especially suited for orchestral pieces—and since we launched two years ago, we’ve seen considerable support from audiences. We’re confident that as long as we continue presenting our 'Great Classics' series—which promises to be quite appealing—we will maintain a robust attendance.

We have two outstanding symphonons from the Classical era: Mendelssohn’s and Beethoven's Eighth. This piece falls precisely within the time frame where Beethoven produced some of his greatest mature works. Additionally, we're featuring one of the most appealing concertos composed during the 20th century, which will be beautifully performed by Amanda Cook. Her career has reached an impressively global scale; just prior to joining us, she'll be giving performances across various locations in the USA.

We achieved this with her way back in 2017, and she excelled at that time. Her talent as an artist truly shines through. Not only does she possess remarkable skill as a performer, but what makes her particularly essential in musical settings is her capacity to connect directly with the audience. She carries herself effortlessly and naturally, which will be wonderfully showcased here thanks to the piece’s adherence to traditional Spanish guitar style and its lovely melodic interplay during the middle section featuring the cor anglais.

Just like before, much of Jonathan’s pleasure comes from curating concerts: "I find immense excitement in planning a performance. With an abundance of pieces available, one aims to delve into as broad a range as feasible throughout the years, selecting compositions that resonate effectively during live shows. The reason Mozart and Beethoven continue to be revered above contemporaries such as Salieri—who was alongside Mozart—or other significant composers coexisting with Beethoven, lies in their enduring appeal through historical scrutiny."

Jonathan is keen to keep the Chichester orchestral concerts going: "There’s a genuine need for a professional ensemble like Southern Pro Musica in Chichester. The city boasts such rich artistic energy with numerous fantastic offerings; one might ponder why it lacks its own dedicated professional orchestra when many others have them. I hold only positive sentiments towards our local amateur orchestras—they accomplish remarkable feats and provide excellent chances for aspiring musicians to shine. However, having a professional orchestra would add a new layer of excellence to these performances."