The British and International Federation of Festivals, to which we are affiliated, has announced that it has been accepted by the BBC as one of their BBC Ten Pieces Champions, operating at a national level from September 2015.
In 2014/15 over half of UK Primary Schools took part in the Ten Pieces initiative and in a previous blog post we recorded the excellent concert held in Ripon Cathedral. The scheme has been so successful that BBC Learning has decided to extend it to include UK Secondary schools in 2015/16. As a BBC Ten Pieces Champion the Federation will be able to encourage schools to perform their work at its festivals.
It remains to be seen how this will affect our festival but it is an interesting development in the performing arts field.
EVENTS DIARY LISTING
The 2016 Festival dates are now listed in The North Yorkshire Music & Arts Events Diary which can also be found via the St Cecilia Orchestra website. When the entry system closes (10 January 2016 for the on-line system and 1 January 2016 for paper entries) and the Program is finalised, more information will be added to these listings. They are an excellent way to find out what is happening in our local area.
ADC
Tuesday, 29 September 2015
Saturday, 12 September 2015
Regional Championships
Following the earlier item about the Regional Championships, we are very happy to learn that HCFMSD winner cellist Maria Marshall has been successful there this afternoon, winning the Music section. Excellent news. Well done Maria.
ADC
ADC
2016 Festival Syllabus
The Syllabus for the 2016 Festival is now available on-line at http://hcfmsd.com/Syllabus.html. This will be the 80th consecutive staging of the festival - a real milestone!
The Syllabus contains the details of over 200 classes including a new Virtuoso Class for which the Elizabeth Hopkins Trophy will be awarded for the first time. This class will require performers to play two different pieces on different instruments from different disciplines, with the first piece being at Grade 8 or above standard and the second at Grade 6 or above.
Otherwise and as usual the Syllabus covers the whole gamut of the performing arts, with opportunities for the very young and those not so young to have a go. We had over 3000 performances this year and we hope to emulate that in 2016.
Entries can be made both on paper and on-line from early October and the details can be found at the above link under "Entry forms". Don't forget that paper entries must be in by 2 January 2016 with those made on-line having until 15 January to be submitted.
The Festival is all about the performers so if you know someone who might be interested encourage them to enter.
On a different topic we have been informed that Jamie Locke will unfortunately be unable to perform at the Regional Championships now, due to unforeseen circumstances.
ADC
The Syllabus contains the details of over 200 classes including a new Virtuoso Class for which the Elizabeth Hopkins Trophy will be awarded for the first time. This class will require performers to play two different pieces on different instruments from different disciplines, with the first piece being at Grade 8 or above standard and the second at Grade 6 or above.
Otherwise and as usual the Syllabus covers the whole gamut of the performing arts, with opportunities for the very young and those not so young to have a go. We had over 3000 performances this year and we hope to emulate that in 2016.
Entries can be made both on paper and on-line from early October and the details can be found at the above link under "Entry forms". Don't forget that paper entries must be in by 2 January 2016 with those made on-line having until 15 January to be submitted.
The Festival is all about the performers so if you know someone who might be interested encourage them to enter.
On a different topic we have been informed that Jamie Locke will unfortunately be unable to perform at the Regional Championships now, due to unforeseen circumstances.
ADC
Monday, 24 August 2015
The European Youth School of Music
In a previous blog post we mentioned that our overall Young Musician of the Festival winner, saxophonist Jonny Vaux, would be participating in the European Youth Summer Music course in August and he has very kindly sent in a report of his experience there. You may be able to spot him in the group photo on the EYSM website!
The course is flexible, offering students a set of options alongside the more structured Course Orchestra. Despite being mainly a saxophonist Jonny played flute in the orchestra's performance of Scheherazade by Rimsky-Korsakov, a piece that is new to him because there is no saxophone part!
In addition to this Jonny played in a Big Band and was able to improvise on piano as part of a small, improvised jazz band.
The Course programme ended with five concerts in which all the groups formed during the week out of the options choices and the orchestral elements got to perform.
We are delighted that HCFMSD was able to support Jonny at this event and we are pleased that it was such an enjoyable experience for him.
On a slightly different note, the 2016 Syllabus will be out shortly so watch this space, especially if you would like to be next year's EYSM participant!!
ADC
The course is flexible, offering students a set of options alongside the more structured Course Orchestra. Despite being mainly a saxophonist Jonny played flute in the orchestra's performance of Scheherazade by Rimsky-Korsakov, a piece that is new to him because there is no saxophone part!
In addition to this Jonny played in a Big Band and was able to improvise on piano as part of a small, improvised jazz band.
The Course programme ended with five concerts in which all the groups formed during the week out of the options choices and the orchestral elements got to perform.
We are delighted that HCFMSD was able to support Jonny at this event and we are pleased that it was such an enjoyable experience for him.
On a slightly different note, the 2016 Syllabus will be out shortly so watch this space, especially if you would like to be next year's EYSM participant!!
ADC
Tuesday, 28 July 2015
Region Festivals Championship
Speech & Drama winner, Jamie Locke together with the Concerto Class winner, cellist Maria Marshall, will represent HCFMSD at the 2015 Regional Championships to be held by the Yorkshire and Northern Lincolnshire Regions of the British and International Federation of Festivals on Saturday 12th September between 10:00am and 4:00pm.
The event will take place at Carlton Community High School, Green Lane, Carlton, Pontefract, WF8 3NW.
Tickets costing £5.00 each are available from Ms M Venables, 2 Meadow Drive, Darfield, Barnsley, S73 9HL. Please send an SAE and a cheque made payable to "Yorkshire and Northern Lincolnshire Region".
Alan
The event will take place at Carlton Community High School, Green Lane, Carlton, Pontefract, WF8 3NW.
Tickets costing £5.00 each are available from Ms M Venables, 2 Meadow Drive, Darfield, Barnsley, S73 9HL. Please send an SAE and a cheque made payable to "Yorkshire and Northern Lincolnshire Region".
Alan
Tuesday, 30 June 2015
A surprise bequest
In our last post we mentioned that, in his AGM address, our Chairman had remembered Harry Harrop, a long-serving volunteer from Marton cum Grafton, who sadly died last December aged 83.
We were recently notified by his executors that Harry had made a very generous bequest to the Festival in his will, for which we are extremely grateful. No decisions have yet been made about how it might be used but the Trustees will be putting their heads together over the coming months to think about that, so watch this space.
This is further evidence that the festival inspires its volunteers as well as its many competitors!
Alan
We were recently notified by his executors that Harry had made a very generous bequest to the Festival in his will, for which we are extremely grateful. No decisions have yet been made about how it might be used but the Trustees will be putting their heads together over the coming months to think about that, so watch this space.
This is further evidence that the festival inspires its volunteers as well as its many competitors!
Alan
Sunday, 14 June 2015
The Annual General Meeting
The Annual
General Meeting was held on Saturday 13th June.
The HCFMSD
Chairman, Paul Dutton presented his report in which he thanked all those who
have worked so hard to make the Festival a happy and continuing success.
Foremost on this list must be our indefatigable Secretary, Linda Wilson, but Paul
also thanked the small army of volunteer stewards and scribes, the “trophy
managers”, as well as our sponsors, donors and advertisers, the rest of the
Committee and of course all the performers and their parents and teachers,
without which there would be no Festival!
Thanks were
also given to Harrogate Ladies College for their continuing support, to Tom
Ramsden the High Sheriff of North Yorkshire for securing a donation for the
Festival from The Spooner Trust and to Harrogate Borough Council who again gave
the festival a grant this year.
In his
remarks about this year’s Festival, Paul mentioned the introduction of the
Novice Ukulele Class, the separation of the Boys and Girls Singing Classes and
the separation of the Barbershop and Choir classes as well as a number of other improvements.
Paul also
gave us some news about some past performers. Although our overall Young
Musician of the Festival winner, saxophonist Jonny Vaux is unable to
participate in the Regional Championships he will be playing in the European
Youth Summer Music course in August. Our Speech & Drama winner, Jamie Locke
together with the Concerto Class winner, cellist Maria Marshall will represent
Harrogate at the Regional Championships to be held in Pontefract in September.
Finally Paul
paid tribute to Ken Hulme, a Committee member and to Harry Harrop, one of our
longest serving volunteers, both of whom sadly died last year.
The
Chairman, Vice Chairman, Treasurer and Secretary were all re-elected unopposed
to serve another year. Planning for the 2016 Festival is underway and the
Syllabus will soon be published.
Watch this space!!
Alan
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