Due to Covid precautions there will be no Festival Finale this year. It is hoped that the prizes will be presented during the sessions.
We are delighted to introduce our adjudicators and accompanists for 2022! All are highly experienced musicians with extensive experience of performing and teaching.
Both our adjudicators this year are expert music educators and examiners with considerable experience both nationally and worldwide.
For the entrants it is a chance to have their performance evaluated by a top professional. Each performer receives a certificate as well as a mark-sheet with helpful comments on their performance.
For those who come to listen it is like attending a masterclass as they hear the performances followed by the adjudicators’ summing up, often with tips to help the performers develop their singing or playing.
Our performers also have the opportunity to be accompanied by our highly qualified official accompanist at no extra cost.
This year we are delighted to welcome Paul Turner and Helen Kadodwala as our official accompanists. Paul is well-known to regulars at Wantage Music Festival. He has wide experience in Britain and overseas in many genres and competitors and listeners alike have enjoyed his sensitive accompaniments at previous Festivals. Helen is Official Accompanist at Oxford Music Festival and also accompanies at Abingdon Music Festival.
They will have available the world class 6ft 7in Shigeru Kawai concert sized grand piano kindly loaned by Graham Blyth.
We are pleased to announce that the 2021 Festival Syllabus is now available. So if you, or your child or your pupil, are an enthusiastic or aspiring singer or musician, download the syllabus now and see what classes you would like to enter.
You have the opportunity to perform in front of a sympathetic audience and a highly qualified adjudicator who will provide helpful advice while assessing you, and you will receive a written adjudication and a certificate. You will be able to enjoy hearing other performers. If you do really well you may even get the chance to be considered for one of our cash prizes or trophies.
There is a not to be missed opportunity to be accompanied at no extra cost by our widely experienced accompanist.
We have classes for all ages from 9 and under to 55 and over, singers in many genres, instruments including strings (guitars as well as orchestral), woodwind, brass, piano. percussion, small group classes including a chamber music class and an Entertainment Class for soloists and household groups. Group classes will have to obey social distancing rules at the time but household groups will always be allowed.
