Normal rehearsal times and locations

Havant Symphony Orchestra rehearsals are normally held every Friday evening during school term time (except on the day before a Havant Chamber Orchestra concert) from 7.00pm to 9.30pm at The Pallant Centre (St. Faith’s Church Hall), The Pallant, Havant, PO9 1BE (see map).  There is a car park next to the hall, off East Pallant, which is a one-way street towards the hall, so you need to approach it via Beechworth Road. 

The final rehearsal on the concert day is at the concert venue, and for concerts at Hayling Island Community Centre or Oaklands Catholic School the rehearsal the preceding evening is usually also at the same location.  Note that this season two of the HSO concerts are in the afternoon, with morning rehearsals on the day. 

See the following sections on this page for additional information about rehearsals and specific rehearsal details, and the complete rehearsal schedule for a summary of the latest information on rehearsal dates and locations. 

St. Faith’s Church Hall is sometimes unavailable for HSO rehearsals or bursary auditions, in which case we usually move across Havant to St. Joseph’s Church Hall, West Street, PO9 1LP (see map). 

The HSO rehearsal includes a coffee break at around 8.30pm.  Coffee or tea and biscuits are provided (for a contribution of 20p). 

Havant Chamber Orchestra rehearsals take place in Havant, normally on the two Tuesdays immediately preceding the concert date, from 7.30pm to 10.00pm.  There is a break, but no refreshments are provided. 

HCO rehearsals are usually at Bosmere Junior School, South Street, PO9 1DA (see map). 

Players please bring a music stand to all rehearsals. 

Additional information about rehearsal arrangements will be added below from time to time; players are advised to check this page regularly for reminders and additional rehearsal details. 

Additional information about rehearsals

[7th April 2023]

Check below for updates about rehearsal schedules and venues for HSO and HCO.

Specific HSO rehearsal details

[2nd March 2024]

Havant Symphony Orchestra (HSO) together with members of the newly formed Southeast-Hampshire Youth Orchestra (SHYO) will be having an open rehearsal followed by an informal concert for members (including season ticket holders and friends) on Friday 15th March 2024 (the usual HSO rehearsal day in the week after the concert) starting at 7pm at The Pallant Centre.  Those invited should have received further details. 

The orchestras will rehearse three pieces, including Finlandia by Sibelius, and perform an informal concert. 

We then hope both the orchestra and our guests will stay for tea, coffee and cake before the evening ends at 9.30pm.

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[21st July 2023]

Our regular rehearsal venue at the Pallant is unavailable for four HSO Friday rehearsal dates during this season.  On two of these dates, Hayling Island Community Centre was available so these rehearsals will take place there instead.  For the other two days, the rehearsals will be at St Joseph’s Church Hall on West Street.  These alternative rehearsal venues are indicated for the relevant dates in the full schedule below. 

Specific HCO rehearsal details

[7th April 2023]

Any specific HCO rehearsal details will be added here.

Complete rehearsal schedule

[Last updated 21st July 2023]

This is the rehearsal schedule for the 2023-24 season.  This page will be updated to reflect any changes or additions.  All rehearsals except on the concert day should be assumed to be at The Pallant Centre (St. Faith’s Church Hall) unless indicated otherwise. 

Not all rehearsal dates will necessarily be used for the associated concert.  Some dates may be used for sight reading or to prepare for other events.  When such dates have been identified, they are marked with an asterisk in the main schedule below, with additional details provided in the updates above.

Last played	Work	Composer	Instrumentation	Dura­tion	Rehearsals (By concert, not by date)
Saturday 16th September 2023 7.30pm – Havant Symphony Orchestra at Hayling Island Community Centre Conductor: James Thomas
Oct-13	Overture ‘The Hebrides’	Mendelssohn	2222 2200 T S	10'	Fridays 7pm–9.30pm: 1 Sep with AGM, 8 Sep, 15 Sep at Hayling,
Feb-09	Piano Concerto No. 2    Soloist: Thomas Luke	Saint-Saëns	2222 2200 T P S	25'
Mar-04	Symphony No. 1, ‘Spring’	Schumann	2222 4230 T P S	30'
				65'	Saturday 16 Sep 2.00pm
Saturday 14 October 2023 7.30pm – Havant Chamber Orchestra Strings at Holy Trinity Church, Fareham Conductor: Robin Browning
New	Two Pieces for Strings from Henry V	Walton	S	5'	Tuesdays 7.30pm–10pm at Bosmere School: 3 Oct, 10 Oct,
New	Clarinet Concerto    Soloist: Rob Blanken	Finzi	S	30'
Jun-14	Serenade for Strings	Elgar	S	14'
New	Fantasia on a theme by Thomas Tallis	Vaughan Williams	S	15'
				64'	Saturday 14 Oct 2.00pm
Saturday 9 December 2023 2.30pm – Havant Symphony Orchestra at Oaklands School Conductor: Jonathan Butcher
Sep-10	Overture: Oberon	Weber	2222 4230 T S	10'	Fridays 7-9.30pm: 22 Sep, 29 Sep, 6 Oct St Joseph’s, 20 Oct, 3 Nov, 10 Nov, 17 Nov, 24 Nov St Joseph’s, 1 Dec, 8 Dec at Oaklands,
Sep-16	Piano Concerto No. 2    Soloist: Valentina Seferinova	Rachmaninov	2222 4231 T 2P S	37'
New	Prelude and Mazurka from Coppelia	Delibes	2/1222 42+231 T 4P Hp S Extras: 2 cornets Doubling: piccolo	6'
New Jul-19 New	Witches’ Ride [61-68], Dream Pantomime [92-105], Gingerbread Waltz [191-200], from Hansel and Gretel	Humperdinck	2+1222 4231 T 4P S 21+122 4231 T 2P Hp S 2+11+12+12 4231 T 4P S Extras: piccolo, bass clarinet Doubling: cor anglais (2nd oboe)	4' 8' 3'
New	Fantasy on the Coventry Carol	Trad. arr. Brubaker	S	4'
New	Christmas Festival	Anderson	2+122+32 4331 T 4P Hp S Extras: piccolo, 3rd trumpet Optional: Harp, 3 saxophones	7'
				79' + carols	Saturday 9 Dec 10.30am
Saturday 3 February 2024 7.30pm – Havant Chamber Orchestra at Holy Trinity Church, Fareham Conductor: Robin Browning
New	Overture in the Italian Style in C D591	Schubert	2222 2200 T S	8'	Tuesdays 7.30pm–10pm at Bosmere School: 23 Jan, 30 Jan,
May-04	Violin Concerto No. 4    Soloist: Alexandra Peel	Mozart	0200 2000 S	25'
May-16	Symphony No. 4, ‘Italian’	Mendelssohn	2222 2200 T S	30'
				63'	Saturday 3 Feb 2.00pm
Sunday 10 March 2024 2.30pm – Havant Symphony Orchestra at Oaklands School Conductor: Jonathan Butcher
Nov-09	Night on the Bare Mountain	Mussorgsky	2+1222 4231 T P Hp S Extras: piccolo	14'	Fridays 7pm–9.30pm: 5 Jan Hayling, 12 Jan, 19 Jan, 26 Jan, 9 Feb, 23 Feb, 1 Mar, 8 Mar at Oaklands,
New	Violin Concerto    Soloist: Joo Yeon Sir	Khachaturian	2+12+122 4231 T P Hp S Extras: piccolo, cor anglais	40'
Sep-14	Symphony No. 9, ‘New World’	Dvořák	2+12+122 4231 T P S Extras: piccolo, cor anglais	45'
				99'	Sunday 10 Mar 10.30am?
Saturday 18 May 2024 7.30pm – Havant Chamber Orchestra at Holy Trinity Church, Fareham Conductor: Robin Browning
Feb-07	On hearing the First Cuckoo in Spring	Delius	2122 2000 S	7'	Tuesdays 7.30pm–10pm at Bosmere School: 7 May, 14 May,
Feb-07	Summer Night on the River	Delius	2122 2000 S	7'
Jun-80	Petite Symphonie for Wind	Gounod	1222 2000	20'
Oct-11	Symphony No. 40	Mozart	1222 2000 S	30'
				64'	Saturday 18 May 2.00pm
Saturday 13 July 2024 7.30pm – Havant Symphony Orchestra at Oaklands School Conductor: Jonathan Butcher
Mar-19	Three Dances from ‘The Bartered Bride’	Smetana	2+1222 4230 T P S Extras: piccolo	13'	Fridays 7.00pm–9.30pm: 19 Apr, 26 Apr, 3 May, 10 May, 24 May Hayling, 7 Jun, 14 Jun, 21 Jun, 28 Jun, 5 Jul, 12 Jul at Oaklands,
Mar-13	Cello Concerto    Soloist: Joseph Spooner	Elgar	2/1222 4231 T S Optional: tuba	30'
Dec-16	Symphony No. 1	Brahms	2222+1 4230 T S Extras: contrabassoon	50'
				93'	Saturday 13 Jul 2.00pm
Friday 19 July 2024 7.00pm – Bursary Auditions – Havant Symphony Orchestra – The Pallant Centre