Portsmouth100 is marked in song as hundreds of young performers light up Portsmouth Guildhall
Portsmouth Guildhall echoed to songs celebrating Portsmouth and its people, performed by the city’s talented youngsters
More than 500 young people helped to mark Portsmouth’s centenary and its rich history, heritage and community spirit in a performance at Portsmouth Guildhall.
The event, held as part of Portsmouth100, brought together children and young people from schools across Portsmouth for an evening of original music celebrating the people, places and stories that have shaped the city over the last 100 years.
The concert culminated in a standing ovation from a packed audience at the Guildhall.
The evening was compered by Sue Beckett, head of Portsmouth Music Service, who shared the stories behind the songs, with every song performed being specially composed by the Music Service’s award-winning composition team, with several of the composers attending the concert alongside civic dignitaries, representatives from Arts Council England, and the Lord Mayor of Portsmouth.
The audience was treated to The Writer with the Magic Touch, celebrating Portsmouth-born author Charles Dickens, while Brunel Boogie paid tribute to engineering pioneer Isambard Kingdom Brunel, who was also born in the city.
One of the evening’s most moving moments came during a performance of Heroes of the Mary Rose. The song honoured those who served aboard Henry VIII’s famous warship and was made especially poignant by the presence of Sally Tyrell, one of the divers involved in the recovery of the Mary Rose. Another local landmark featured in song was the city’s famous Guildhall Clock, with performers bringing to life the story of one of Portsmouth’s most recognisable symbols in front of the very building itself.
The city’s rich cultural diversity was celebrated through City of Languages, a vibrant song performed by Solent Junior School, reflecting the many communities that call Portsmouth home. A strong theme of pride in Portsmouth ran throughout the evening's programme as the singers conveyed their pride in Portsmouth, their city.
The evening concluded with a powerful performance of On Shining Waters, the anthem specially commissioned to mark Portsmouth’s 100th anniversary. The massed voices of hundreds of young singers filled the Guildhall as audience members rose to their feet to applaud a finale that reflected both the city’s past and its future.
Speaking after the concert, Sue Beckett said: “Portsmouth has so many remarkable stories to tell, and music is a wonderful way of bringing those stories to life. This concert celebrated our city through song, from its history and heritage to its diversity and community spirit. Seeing more than 500 young people singing together was incredibly powerful and a reminder of how music can unite children and young people from every corner of Portsmouth.”