Portsmouth sings!
As part of Portsmouth Sing 100 Festival, two prize-winning choirs – one all men and the other all women - will be singing a selection of songs from around the 1920s through to the present day, as a tribute to the Portsmouth100 centenary celebrations.
Spinnaker Chorus (all women) and Solent City (all men) are the leading exponents of a cappella four-part harmony singing in the greater Portsmouth area. The light-hearted, fun, and toe-tapping repertoire will feature timeless classics, recent popular music, folk songs, and the odd comedy number.
Each song will be linked, through its date of first performance or era of popularity, to events or landmarks in Portsmouth’s history over the past 100 years. A media show on screen will illustrate the city’s history during each song, with accompanying scenes or stories to bookcase the songs.
This event forms part of the wider Portsmouth Sing 100 Festival on Saturday 9th May 2026, 15:30- 17:00 @ Guildhall Square Marquee, Portsmouth, PO1 2AB.
Spinnaker Chorus
Spinnaker Chorus is a 65-strong female voice chorus, singing close harmony acappella arrangements of music from the Great British and American song-books, spanning the last 100 years of popular song. As well as staging concerts in and around Portsmouth, Spinnaker Chorus performs at music festivals and competitions across the country - having established itself as one of the UK’s premier exponents of acappella and barbershop harmony. Under the musical direction of John Palmer for 10 of its 20-year history, Spinnaker has developed an audience-pleasing repertoire of contemporary classics, combining a love of close harmony singing with an entertaining mix of performance and humour. From Elbow to Freddy Mercury and Madness to Bruce Springsteen, there will always be something to tap your toes to or hum along with at a Spinnaker concert.
www. spinnakerchorus.co.uk
Solent City Chorus
Solent City Chorus is a men’s choir based in Portchester and is one of the leading exponents of a cappella four-part harmony singing in the greater Portsmouth area. The club celebrated its 50th anniversary last year and currently has around 25 active singing members. Its barbershop repertoire is complemented by a wide variety of songs, including pop, folk, blues, show songs and timeless classics. There is a strong sense of fun and camaraderie, and the club places great importance on supporting its members. At the same time, the chorus strives for high-quality singing and has won many awards in local music festivals, as well as competing regularly at a national level. As a registered charity, Solent City also supports the local community by performing regularly for good causes, and by offering music education and singing courses for members of the public.