From the Chairman
As we look forward to 2017 I’m delighted to announce new, exciting changes to the format of the Festival.
In order to avoid the crippling cost of staging the Choral Concert, the Festival Chorus and Cumbria Choral Initiative have merged to form the Cumbria Festival Chorus. This independent body will promote choral events throughout each year and, as its contribution to the Festival, will stage a ‘come and sing’ Elijah in July 2017.
The committee is now free to explore ways of developing our competitions, non-competitive events and workshop days and we have extended the geographical range to 30 miles radius of Kendal, hoping to attract further schools and individual entries.
Our aim has always been to provide a friendly and encouraging platform for performers of all ages to test their skills and “pace each other on the way to excellence” (Sir Walford Davies) and we hope this side of our work will continue to prosper. Our inaugural ‘Jazz, Rock and Pop’ day in 2015 proved a great success and, it is hoped, will attract even more participants this time round.
We listen carefully to all suggestions and comments and, as a result, have relaxed the guidelines for the ‘Songs from the Shows’ classes, removed the lower age limits for the instrumental classes and introduced a new Novice, non-competitive event for anyone, young or old, who has been learning their chosen instrument for two years or less. We hope many will take the chance to celebrate their music making in a relaxed and non- judgemental environment.
In 2015 we were delighted to receive generous class and event sponsorship and to hear many personal reminiscences of past Festivals when trophies were presented. Your generosity not only helps to keep this unique Festival alive but binds generations of music makers together.
Our schools workshops will continue outside of Festival week and they will present ‘Joseph and his Technicolor Dreamcoat’ in October 2016, followed by ‘Ocean World’ on a date still to be fixed, in 2017.
I have always been passionate about the work of the Festival and feel privileged to have been elected Chairman of one of the oldest competitive Festivals in the country. I look forward to welcoming Festival friends and many new faces to the varied events which form our 2017 Festival.
Mary Powney
Chairman
In order to avoid the crippling cost of staging the Choral Concert, the Festival Chorus and Cumbria Choral Initiative have merged to form the Cumbria Festival Chorus. This independent body will promote choral events throughout each year and, as its contribution to the Festival, will stage a ‘come and sing’ Elijah in July 2017.
The committee is now free to explore ways of developing our competitions, non-competitive events and workshop days and we have extended the geographical range to 30 miles radius of Kendal, hoping to attract further schools and individual entries.
Our aim has always been to provide a friendly and encouraging platform for performers of all ages to test their skills and “pace each other on the way to excellence” (Sir Walford Davies) and we hope this side of our work will continue to prosper. Our inaugural ‘Jazz, Rock and Pop’ day in 2015 proved a great success and, it is hoped, will attract even more participants this time round.
We listen carefully to all suggestions and comments and, as a result, have relaxed the guidelines for the ‘Songs from the Shows’ classes, removed the lower age limits for the instrumental classes and introduced a new Novice, non-competitive event for anyone, young or old, who has been learning their chosen instrument for two years or less. We hope many will take the chance to celebrate their music making in a relaxed and non- judgemental environment.
In 2015 we were delighted to receive generous class and event sponsorship and to hear many personal reminiscences of past Festivals when trophies were presented. Your generosity not only helps to keep this unique Festival alive but binds generations of music makers together.
Our schools workshops will continue outside of Festival week and they will present ‘Joseph and his Technicolor Dreamcoat’ in October 2016, followed by ‘Ocean World’ on a date still to be fixed, in 2017.
I have always been passionate about the work of the Festival and feel privileged to have been elected Chairman of one of the oldest competitive Festivals in the country. I look forward to welcoming Festival friends and many new faces to the varied events which form our 2017 Festival.
Mary Powney
Chairman
