The Hastings Philharmonic Orchestra are the first fully professional orchestra in Hastings since World War II. In the 1930s the Hastings Municipal Orchestra were based at the White Rock Theatre, then a major national centre for classical music and the favourite recording studio for the Decca Record Label. Currently in their Sixth Season, HPO are celebrating their heritage link with the Hastings Municipal Orchestra and are proud to call the White Rock Theatre their home.

Hastings Philharmonic are keen to foster links with local towns and festivals, and to share their music-making with audiences across East Sussex. It is a pleasure for the orchestra to play in a variety of venues and to engage with diverse audiences. This summer, HPO embark on their first-ever tour visiting a range of venues in East Sussex. They are delighted to be visiting and performing in Rye at the Rye Creative Centre for the first time.

For this concert HPO welcome their Principal Clarinettist, Boyan Ivanov, who is also their Orchestra Manager, to feature as their soloist. Boyan enjoys a diverse portfolio as a soloist, chamber and orchestral musician and has performed at many prestigious venues including the Barbican Centre, Royal Festival Hall, Royal Albert Hall, Queen Elizabeth Hall and Cadogan Hall among others. Graduating from the Guildhall School of Music & Drama in 2010, Ivanov has since enjoyed a vibrant freelance career, playing regularly with a variety of orchestras including the Hastings Philharmonic, Ensemble OrQuesta, Vox Vanguard, London Arts Orchestra, Orion, Firebird, Orpheus Sinfonia, and others. He has been a regular Guest Principal Clarinet of the State Opera Plovdiv Orchestra in Bulgaria since 2017.

For this performance, HPO are delighted to perform:

TCHAIKOVSKY Serenade for Strings
BASSI/VERDI Fantasy on Rigoletto
ELGAR Serenade for Strings 
BANDEIRA Maristem (World Premiere)
NIELSEN Bohemian-Danish Folk Tune