Hastings Sinfonia join festive spectacular

Sandra Goodsell, chairman of Hastings Sinfonia, said: “You will be welcomed by carol singers in the foyer from Bexhill Choral Society.

“Hastings Sinfonia is delighted to be supporting St Michael’s Hospice for this event. Join us at 3pm on Sunday, December 3 at the De la Warr Pavilion, for a musical Christmas treat with something for all the family.”

Tickets £15/20 www.dlwp.com/events/hastings-sinfonia; DLWP ticket office 01424 229111; www. hastingssinfonia.com.

Sandra added: “Hastings Sinfonia takes great pride in performing classical works that will appeal to audiences young and old. Expect rousing renditions of Leroy Anderson’s Christmas Festival medley and Sleigh Ride, White Christmas by Berlin and Tchaikovsky’s beautiful Waltz of the Flowers from the Nutcracker Suite, accompanied by East Sussex School of Performing Arts’ dancers.

“A real treat for the audience will be the world premiere of Hastings composer Polo Piatti’s Christmas Guitar Concerto performed by exceptional, charismatic guitarist Giulio Tampalini from Italy.

“Polo’s Christmas Concerto for Guitar and Orchestra approaches the subject of Christmas in an innovative way, illustrating both the true significance of Christmas but also the festival mood and exciting atmosphere experienced during the holiday period. A real treat!

“Tampalini is hailed as one of the most innovative and charismatic interpreters on the international music scene. He has won major international guitar prizes and is a celebrated recording artist. He plays guitars made by local luthier Philip Woodfield. This beautiful concerto captures the festive mood and exciting atmosphere experienced in this holiday period.

“Talented young Ukrainian ballet dancer Masha Shapoval will dance to the classic Walking in the Air from The Snowman and the Medora Variation from Le Corsaire ballet in a performance laden with emotion. Bexhill’s very own St Richard’s Catholic College Choir will enthrall with their renditions of O Come, O Come Emmanuel, Angels Carol and In the Bleak Mid-Winter. Battle Abbey School Choir sing Ken Robert’s Thoughts of Father Christmas, a set of whimsical reveries with baritone Peter Grevatt. There is also a festive composition by composer Gary Judd to look forward to Knees Up 5 inspired by his family’s Christmas get-togethers.”

Sandra added: “Giulio Tampalini is the guitarist with the sun in his eyes, one of the best known and most requested Italian artists. He represents an exception in the world of the guitar: communicative, sunny and virtuosic, it is impossible not to respond to his enthusiasm. He has recorded more than 40 albums and won two Golden Guitars for the best albums at the International Conference in Milan. He also holds very popular masterclasses in Europe, Asia and America. Amadeus magazine dedicated the cover of the September 2022 issue to him.”

Polo Piatti is an award-winning British-Argentine composer living in Hastings and one of the few high-profile international living musicians concentrating exclusively on the creation and promotion of melodic, universally appealing classical music. His Bohemian Piano Concerto and Old World Cello Concerto were recently recorded by the National Symphony Orchestra.