Springboard – Brighton & Hove Performing Arts Festival
Brighton & Hove Performing Arts Festival – providing a supportive platform for actors and musicians of all ages
Each year the Brighton Philharmonic Orchestra awards two concert tickets to two players of orchestral instruments living in Sussex who have taken part in Springboard.
This year’s receipients are Kiara Ekinci (Strings) and Bernice Huang (Woodwind), who chose to attend the concert on 28 September 2025: A New World: Rachmaninoff, Ravel and Bartók.
We are grateful to the BPO for their ongoing support. Do take a look at the details of their exciting upcoming season: BPO_Season-Brochure_2025-26
Springboard was very sad to hear that Jenny Leworthy has died.
Jenny was the Section Secretary of the Speech & Drama section for many years, taking on the role from 1985.
Jenny was taught by Olive von der Heyde, who had herself taken part in the Festival as a child before becoming involved as an adult. It was she who suggested Jenny she should become a teacher herself, which she did. She was also an examiner for Guildhall and New Era.
Many people who she taught are themselves now teaching, have acting careers or are still involved in Springboard, including current Speech & Drama section secretary Mandy Winder, as well as committee members Lesley Skinner and Nicola Wallace.
Mandy started lessons with the lovely Jenny about twenty years ago and remembers her as being full of fun and mischief! “She taught us so much – she had patience in abundance! We would regularly go out for meals and theatre trips. She touched so many hearts! We loved her, and she knew it!”
The award-winning Astatine Trio (Brighton-born siblings Berniya and Riya Hamie (regulars at Springboard) joined by violinist Maja Horvat) perform a programme featuring Schubert’s first and last compositions for piano trio. Written when he was 15 years old, the Sonatensatz is a charming trio movement which marked Schubert’s first foray into music for piano and strings, while his Trio in E flat – composed during the final year of his life – is a masterpiece widely regarded as one of the pinnacles of the chamber music repertoire. In between they perform another of the greatest works for this genre: Ravel’s colourful and virtuosic trio, completed as the First World War broke out.
St. Luke’s Church, Queen’s Park Road, BN2 9ZB
More details and tickets via the link.
The Astatine Trio is composed of sisters Berniya Hamie (piano) and Riya Hamie (cello), along with Maja Horvat (violin). The Trio was formed at the Royal College of Music and has been mentored by Alfred Brendel and selected as Britten Pears Young Artists for 2023/24, as well as also being named Prizewinner in Lyon. They will be playing at the Wigmore Hall on 3 May at 1pm. Full details on the Wigmore Hall website.
You can also catch them in Brighton on Friday 10 May at 12.30pm where they will be taking part in a series of concerts celebrating the 100th anniversary of Springboard – Brighton & Hove Performing Arts Festival.
Leading jazz musicians from the UK and Europe, alongside local artists and young players, will perform in a showcase of jazz music’s rising generation. Brighton & Hove Youth Big Band, the emerging jazz quintet Squint (featuring Springboard regulars Tyzer and Aidan), and headline act: the fabulous Ukrainian singer and composer Ganna Gryniva, in her first UK performance.
Jazz for Ukraine is in support of the charity War Child, which works in conflict zones across the world to provide children with access to professional psychological support. A representative from War Child will give a short presentation on their work in Ukraine to open our concert: an afternoon of wonderful live music, with an invitation to donate at the end.
Do come along and support this wonderful event.
Congratulations to the Astatine Trio, including Springboard participants, Berniya and Riya Hamie, have been selected as Britten Pears Young Artists for 2023/24, as one of 5 ensembles on the Chamber Music in Residence programme. They will be playing two concerts as part of their Snape Maltings residency next year.
You can read more here.
Another event not to be missed!
Richard Durrant, who will be adjudicating our guitar section in 2024, is playing this Thursday at St Michael’s Church, Lewes at 7.30pm.
Award-winning Brighton-born siblings Berniya and Riya Hamie perform a varied programme of cello and piano music, including Debussy’s colourful and virtuosic cello sonata.
For more information click here.
Pianist Alim Beisembayev, First Prize winner at The Leeds International Piano Competition in September 2021, will be playing a programme of Beethoven, Debussy and Ravel at Brighton College on Wednesday 30 September 2023.
If you are interested in attending please see further details on the flyer