DEADLINE DAY FOR ENTRIES APPROACHING

The  on-line entry closing date is 13th January 2017 and the paper entry closing date is 4th January 2017, so you need to get your skates on if you still want to enter.

The on-line entry system (together with the full Syllabus) can be accessed from our website at www.hcfmsd.co.uk and paper entries must be sent, together with a cheque for the appropriate payment to:

Mrs Linda Wilson
2 Walton Gardens
Thorp Arch
Wetherby
LS23 7FU

If you would like a hard copy Syllabus they are available in Harrogate Library.

We have had two brilliant posters designed by school pupils this year, one from Harrogate High School which will be our new venue and one from Immanuel College in Bradford. Both will be featuring in the various poster sites maintained around Harrogate by the Harrogate International Festival, towards the middle of February so keep an eye out for those.

The Festival will take place on March 3rd-5th: 10th-12th and 17th-19th. We would love to see you there.

Harrogate International Sunday Series

We are very happy here in our blog to help to publicise the Sunday Series concerts mounted by the Harrogate International Festival as we feel they are complimentary to what we do at the Competitive Festival. It is entirely possible that one of our performers may go on to appear in a future Sunday Series concert!

Now approaching its 24th year, the Harrogate International Sunday Series presents the world’s brightest talents in classical chamber music, with performances taking place on Sunday mornings during the Spring.  Set in the Victorian splendour of the Old Swan Hotel in Harrogate, audiences can enjoy exceptional music and beautiful surroundings here in the heart of Yorkshire.  Previous musicians at the Sunday Series have included pianist Freddy Kempf, violinist Nicola Benedetti and the award winning Brodsky Quartet.

 

In 2017 Harrogate will be joined by Festival favourites pianist Martin Roscoe & clarinettist Julian Bliss, as well as welcoming violinist Fancesca Dego & the amazing Heath Quartet to the Festival for the first time.  The series will close in April with multi-award winning pianist Alessandro Taverna who presents an all-Chopin programme.

 

Harrogate International Festivals look forward to welcoming you to the 2017 Harrogate International Sunday Series in the beautiful surroundings of the Old Swan Hotel.

Ripon Cathedral Concert 10th October at 7;30pm: The Sacconi String Quartet & Robert Plane

The Ripon Cathedral Concert Society generously donated free tickets to one of the Cathedral concerts in the 2016-2017 season to all the Finalists in this year's Young Musician of the Festival Competition, so it is entirely appropriate here to give details of the first one, to be held on 10th October at 7:30pm.

The Sacconi String Quartet along with renowned clarinettist Robert Plane will perform the following programme:

Mozart;         String Quartet in D K499 Hofmeister
York Bowen;  Phantasy Quartet for bass clarinet and strings
Brahms:        Clarinet Quintet Op 115

Concert-goers may recall that, after their performance in 2014, particularly of Beethoven's Op 132 Quartet, reviewer Tim Robinson wrote, "At the end of the third movement there was a silence so profound, so intense, so visceral, that few in the chancel of Ripon Cathedral will forget it. Time stood still."

This is the launch concert of a series of six in the new season. The Cathedral Concert Society's website (http://www.riponconcerts.co.uk) has details of where to obtain tickets for this event and information on how to become a Member which gives access to all six concerts. If you have never previously been to a concert in Ripon Cathedral I would urge you to give it a go. It is a really brilliant venue.

ADC

The syllabus for 2017 has been published

After several weeks of frantic activity, the syllabus for 2017 has been printed and is on the website here... http://www.hcfmsd.co.uk/Syllabus.html.

The online entry system is now open.  Access is here... http://hcfmsd.co.uk/Entry.html

If you used the system before, you still have your userid as the email address you used before, and to which we sent you notifications.

You've possibly forgotten the password, but there is a reset button for that.

All the entrants you put in last year will still be there, with their ages increased automatically, so you should be good to go.

Any questions on the syllabus content can be addressed to the Festival Secretary, Linda Wilson, and she will either answer you or find someone who can.

DRS

2017 Syllabus on track for publishing mid September

The team of 19 organisers consisting of the Festival Committee, the Section Secretaries and a few other good readers are now all working through draft FIVE of the 2017 syllabus, looking for errors and inconsistencies.

The team are on track for publishing a final version on the HCFMSD.CO.UK website in mid September and getting printed versions available before the end of September.

We have changed a few classes, deleted some, combined some, split others, and added new classes - including two Ukulele group classes, so please pay attention when you read the new syllabus.

Watch this space and twitter @HCFMSD for further updates.

Derek

The 2017 Annual General Meeting: Treasurer and Chairman's Reports

Our Secretary, Linda Wilson, chaired this year's AGM in the absence of Paul Dutton who is recuperating after a serious illness. We send him all our best wishes for a full and speedy recovery.

Linda started by thanking all volunteers, sponsors, patrons, accompanists, scribes, stewards, teachers, the Trophy Secretary, performers and the organising committee, without all of whom we would not have a festival. She then thanked the Walker Galleries for stepping in to receive trophies prior to the Festival this year. We need to find a new venue for trophy returns next year.

No grant was received in 2015/2016 from Harrogate District Council although we did receive one in 2014. We have been invited to apply this year so, fingers crossed.

Linda thanked Harrogate Ladies' College (in particular the Principal, Sylvia Brett, her colleague Chris Briscoe and all the other College staff) for their support over the last eight years. They decided after this year's event that it was no longer consistent with an ever increasing number of College weekend activities and their increased safeguarding and child protection responsibilities, so we have been looking for a new home. We hope to make an announcement about that soon.

Linda mentioned the Music For Fun special needs event which went ahead during this year's Festival. She said that we hope to develop this further to enable people with a wide range of disabilities to perform and to gain confidence by being part of the Festival.

Linda ended her report by repeating her thanks to all the volunteers who make the Festival possible.

Prior to hearing the Chairman's Report we heard the report from our Treasurer, Mike Greenberg. It is sufficient to say here that the Festival is in a relatively strong financial position moving forward.

Work will shortly commence on next year's Syllabus, which will be available in September.

ADC

The 2016 Festival

Well the 2016 Festival is over now and all the volunteers will be wondering how to fill their time. Next year's plans have been interrupted somewhat by the surprise decision of Harrogate Ladies' College not to continue hosting the Festival. The large number of visitors, (over 3000 in the three Festival weekends), coming on to the College estate is becoming inconsistent with it being a functioning boarding school and, also, the College has other things it would like to do with its own space. All good things come to an end and the Festival has been very happy at the College since 2008. We would like to thank its staff and pupils for their help over that time.

Since it was founded in 1936 the Festival has been mounted at a number of different Harrogate venues (I performed in it over 50 years ago on the stage of the Royal Hall - terrifying!!) and we are confident that this will be a minor hiccough in our 80 years of existence. Work is afoot to find a new home for 2017 and beyond. The adjudicators are currently booked for the three weekends commencing on 3 March, so fingers crossed. If you think you can help please contact us via the website http://www.hcfmsd.co.uk

Here is the full list of winners. The Festival has always been a competitive one, so every class has a winner but really every performer is a winner, just for getting up and doing it, so well done everyone and "Thank you" to all the volunteers, without whom the Festival could not take place.

First weekend

Acted Scene Age 15 & under: Katy Metheringham and Luke Morland, Knaresborough; 16 & over: Sam Daltry and William Jackson, Knaresborough; Group Drama Age 15 & under: KSSD Wednesday Intermediates 2, Knaresborough; 19 & under: KSSD Masterclass, Knaresborough; Solo Acting Age 12 & 13: Emily Belcher, Knaresborough; 14 & 15: Katy Metheringham, Knaresborough; 16 & over: Kitty Watson, Knaresborough; Solo Acting - Shakespeare Age 15 & under: Helena Baker, Harrogate; 16 & over: Kitty Watson, Knaresborough; Concerto Class Year 13 & under: Emily Watson-Breeze, York; Chamber Class Year 10 & under: Dragon Woodwind Sextet, Harrogate; Open: perfect 5th, Leeds; Entertainment Class Age 13 to 15: Vicky Graham, Knaresborough; 16 & over: Lucy Ireland, Knaresborough; Lever Harp Elementary Grades 1-3: Laura Edmonds, Stokesley; Lever Harp Grades 4 - 5: Connor McMurray, Stokesley; Pedal Harp Grades 4-5: Tilly Poskitt, Cottingham; Pedal Harp Advanced Grade 6 & over: Megan Humphries, Nr. Ripon; Harp Duet Open: Hannah Higson and Cerys Rees, Cottingham; Harp Ensemble Open: The Soundboards, Cottingham; Musical Theatre Age 15 & under: ACTAcademy UK, Harrogate; 16 & over: KSSD Saturday Seniors, Knaresborough; 4 & under: Krish Desha-Beerachee, Harrogate; 5 & under: Robert Kidd, Harrogate; 6 & under: Robert Kidd, Harrogate; 7 & under: Eleanor Kidd, Harrogate; 8 & under: Thomas Went, Harrogate; 9 & under: Yuan Xu, Harrogate; 10 & under: Yuan Xu, Harrogate; 13 & under: Yuan Xu, Harrogate; Open to include Diploma Holders: Jean  Wildman, Shipley; Open: Ho Ching Ng, York; Bach Prelude & Fugue Class Open: Jean  Wildman, Shipley; Chopin Class Open: Philip Howarth, Harrogate; Twentieth Century Class Open: Tom Knowles, Harrogate; Piano Duet Year 6 & under: Eleanor Kidd and Robert Kidd, Harrogate; 9 & under: Hannah Shimwell and Millie Harris, Harrogate; 13 & under: Selina Pollard and Erica Markee, Harrogate; Piano Trio Year 6 & under: Holly Bletcher, Tara Dikmen, Sophie McHugh, Harrogate; Pipe Organ Year 11 & under: Joshua Taylor, Harrogate; 13 & under: Daniel Taylor, Harrogate; Grade 3 or 4: Annabel Baxter, Harrogate; Grade 5 or 6: Annabel Baxter, Harrogate; Grade 7 or 8: Grace Caton, Harrogate; Recorder Duet Year 6 & under: Jessica Townsend and Beth Harrison, Harrogate; Recorder Group Year 6 & under: The Bell School of Music Recorder Group, Harrogate; Prepared Reading Age 12 & 13: Thomas Wood, Knaresborough; 14 & 15: Charlotte Barnard, Knaresborough; 16 & over: Rebekah Rochester, Knaresborough; A Talk on any subject: 11 & over: Zara Fawcett, Harrogate; String Solo Grades 1 & 2: Sophia Rueschemeyer, York; Grade 3: Puyuan Ge, Thirsk; Grades 4 & 5: Ava Brule-Walker, Thirsk; Grade 6: Sophie Priestley, Harrogate; Grades 7 & 8: William  Clark, York; String Duet, Trio or Quartet Year 10 & under: Lilly Ho and Isabella Watson, York; Open: Selby Music Centre String Quartet, York; String Group Year 10 & Under: HLC String Ensemble, Harrogate; Open: HLC String Ensemble, Harrogate; Bach Class Open: Benedict Baily, Thirsk; Strings Novice Class Open: Neil Dixon, York; String Solo Open: Maria Marshall, York; Novice Ukulele Class: William Smith-McShee, Harrogate; Classical Guitar Year 6 & under: Tej Singh, Leeds; 9 & under: Milan Singh, Leeds; Open: Felix Collins, Durham; Verse Speaking Age 12 & 13: Thomas Wood, Knaresborough; 14 & 15: Vicky Graham, Knaresborough; 16 & over: Gemma Felton, Nosterfield; Sonnet Class Age 13 to 15: Katherine Hooper, Knaresborough; 16 & over: Gemma Felton, Nosterfield; Group Speaking Age 14 & under: ACTAcademy UK, Harrogate; The Elizabeth Hopkins Trophy Virtuoso Class: Cordelia Newbery, Harrogate; Flute Solo: Grade 1 or 2: Amelie Coyle, Harrogate; Grade 3 or 4: Lexi Powell, Harrogate; Grade 5 or 6: Evie Collard, Harrogate; Grade 7 or 8: Lily Scott, Wetherby; Oboe or Bassoon Solo: Grade 7 or 8: Robbie Messenger, York; Clarinet Solo: Grade 1 or 2: Eleanor Kidd, Harrogate; Grade 3 or 4: Olivia Simpson, Harrogate; Grade 5 or 6: Olivia Robinson, York; Grade 7 or 8: Emily Watson-Breeze, York; Saxophone Solo E flat and B flat Grade 1 or 2: Evie Collard, Harrogate; Saxophone Solo Eb and Bb Grade 3 or 4: Anona Raphael, Harrogate; Grade 5 or 6: Grace Malone, Harrogate; Saxophone Solo Grade 7 or 8: Stephanie Frankland, York; Repertoire Class Year 9 and under: Emma  Moore, Harrogate; Woodwind Solo Open: Stephanie Frankland, York; Christopher Richmond Trophy: Olivia Robinson, York; Ernest Hopper Trophy: Emily Watson-Breeze, York; Woodwind Duet, Trio or Quartet Year 6 & under: Amelie Coyle and Elizabeth Bromiley, Harrogate;10 & under: Tewit Clarinet Trio, Harrogate; Year 13 & under: Dragon Quadrasax, Harrogate; Woodwind Group Year 10 & under: Dragon Woodwind Sextet, Harrogate; 13 & under: Tutti Fluti, Harrogate;

Second weekend

Solo Acting Age 11 & under: Hattie Attwood, Knaresborough; Group Drama Age 11 & under: Highfield HLC Prep 5, Harrogate; Devised Drama Age 12 & over: ACTAcademy UK, Harrogate; Acted Scene Age: 11 & under: Hattie Attwood, Cecily Ruddy and Flossie Attwood, Knaresborough; 11 & under-2: Molly Metheringham and Scarlett Watson, Knaresborough; 13 & under: Harriet Swift and Tamsin Ker, Harrogate; Vocal Duet: Year 6 & under: Sophie McHugh and Eva Scullion, Harrogate; 9 & under: Harriet Rae and Claudia Rae, Harrogate; 11 & under: Anastasia Sheveleva and Tamara Demirchyan, York; Solo singing Musical Theatre: Year 5: Ava Bounds, Collingham; 6: Flossie Attwood, Wetherby; Solo from a Show, Film or Musical: Year 7: Tilly Ducker, Harrogate; 8: Oscar Gray, Harrogate; 9: Phoebe Kyriakopoulos, Harrogate; 10: Frankie Bounds, Collingham; Solo from a Show, Film or Musical: Year 11: Megan Walker, Harrogate; 12 & over: Alice Wright, Harrogate; Vocal Duet or Trio from a Show, Film or Musical Year 11 & under: Penny Alcock and Katie Alcock, Harrogate; 11 & over: Kitty Watson, Sally Hall and Alice Wright, Harrogate; Musical Theatre: Age 7 & under: Theatrebox Infants, Harrogate; 10 & under: Theatrebox Juniors, Harrogate; 12 & under: KSSD Saturday Junior/Intermediate, Knaresborough; Show Choir Open: KSSD Show Choir, Knaresborough; Olde Tyme Music Hall Song: Kitty Watson, Harrogate; Prepared Reading: Age 9 & under: Sofia Snowball, Knaresborough; 10 & 11: Ellie Kidd, Knaresborough; Speech & Drama Championship Class: Kitty Watson, Knaresborough; Solo Singing Boys & Girls: Year 3 & under: Beatrice Haddow, Harrogate; 4: Madeleine North, Huddersfield; 5: Ava Bounds, Collingham; 6: Flossie Attwood, Wetherby; 6 & under: Cian Corbett, Harrogate; 7: Gabriella Whiteley, Harrogate; 8 & 9 - Grades 3-5: Megan Mead, Harrogate; 7, 8 & 9 - Grades 2-5: Oscar Gray, Harrogate; Northern Choristers' Championship Girls & Boys unchanged voices - Year 11 & under: Lauren Windsor, Wetherby; Folk Song Unaccompanied: Year 5 & under: Ava Bounds, Collingham; 6: Caroline Freeman, Harrogate; 7: Tom Wallace, Harrogate; 8 or 9: Isabelle Graham, Collingham; 10 & over: Samantha Brockett, Harrogate; Verse Speaking 7-1: Georgina Laycock, Harrogate; 7-2: Annabel Wass, Knaresborough; 8: Iris Johnson, Knaresborough; 8-2: Alexa Burrell, Harrogate; 9: Hannah McHugh, Harrogate; 9-2: Henry Titchmarsh, Leeds; 10: Ellie Kidd, Knaresborough; 10-2: Flossie Attwood, Knaresborough; 11: Thomas Jackson, Knaresborough; Group Speaking: Age 8 & under: Highfield HLC Prep 3, Harrogate; 10 & under: Brackenfield School Year 6, Harrogate; 19 & under: KSSD Saturday Seniors, Knaresborough;

Third weekend

Verse speaking age 6: Hugo Andrews, Leeds; Brass Solo Year 7 & under: Henrietta Kirkby, York; 10 & under: Ben Pritchard, Bradford; 13 & under: Edward Freeman, Harrogate; Novice Choir Year 2 & under: Brackenfield Year 2 Choir, Harrogate; 6 & under: The Mount School Junior Choir, York; Choir Year 4 & under: Highfield HLC Middle Choir, Harrogate; Choir from smaller schools, roll not to exceed 120: Moorlands School Choir, Leeds; 6 & under: Wakefield Girls' High School Under 11 Choir, Wakefield; 9 & under: Musicality, Ripon; Chamber Choir  Open: Rock Up and Sing! Events Choir, Harrogate; Year 13 & under: Blue Blazer Choir, Newcastle Upon Tyne; Church Music - SATB Choir Open: Friday Voices, Burton on Trent; Open - Female, Male & Mixed over 16 members: Lindley Community Choir, Huddersfield; Choral Challenge Class Open: Friday Voices, Burton on Trent; Barbershop Open: Main Street Sound, York; Vocal Duet Year 12 & over: Christopher Davies and Helen Thomas, York; Youth/School Orchestra Year 6 & under: Highfield HLC Orchestra, Harrogate; Percussion Year 13 & under: Izzy Barrington, Knaresborough; Drum Kit Year 8 & under: Jack Littlewood, Leeds; 13 & under: Jack Littlewood, Leeds; Solo Singing Girls - Year 10 & 11 - Grades 4-6: Alexa Wilkinson, Collingham; Girls 13 & under: Niamh Robinson-Wakefield, Knaresborough; Boys Changed Voices -13 & under: Tom  Jansen, Harrogate; Young Musician Singer Competition Year 13 & under: Niamh Robinson-Wakefield, Knaresborough; Silver Rose Bowl Competition Open: Jonathan Smith, Rugby; Recital Class Over Year 13: Jonathan Smith, Rugby; Operatic Aria Open: Christopher Davies, York; Oratorio Class Open: Gracie Caton, Harrogate; British Composer Class Open: Gracie Caton, Harrogate; Lieder Class Open: Jonathan Smith, Rugby;

ADC