Bedfordshire Festival of Music, Speech and Drama

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Bedfordshire Festival of Music, Speech and Drama

The Bedfordshire Festival of Music, Speech and Drama provides a showcase for the wealth of talent in the amateur performing arts in the area.

23/01/2025

💬 Ursula Taylor Church of England School has been taking part in the Bedfordshire Festival for Music, Speech and Drama for over twenty years. We have entered our choir into both the competitive classes, and also, on occasion, into the non-competitive class.

It is the perfect focus for our choir, as it provides us with an excellent occasion to prepare the children for. They gain the enjoyment and experience of singing for an audience, which is always so exciting. Our choir has had the good fortune to be successful in the festival several times, however, the most important value of this experience is the opportunity for each individual to flourish through singing and performance.

It is a joy to join together with other schools to enjoy and appreciate the many performances there are. We have always received such a warm welcome whenever we have been part of this festival. 💬

Samantha Wintle
Ursula Taylor C of E Primary School

20/01/2025

It's Blue Monday - a day that's officially the most depressing day of the year 😩

If you've got a case of the January blues, first of all, don't worry - the Festival is in just a few weeks and that's guaranteed to put a spring in your step!

But our recommendation today is to try and do something creative even if it's just for 10-15 minutes, as the proven benefits of art, drama and music on our mental health are staggering.

Whether you take a moment to sing your favourite song while you're making a cup of tea, to practice a much loved piece on a musical instrument, to take yourself off somewhere quiet to do some creative writing on your break, or you simply just listen to a beautiful piece of music on your headphones during a dog walk - those few mindful minutes of letting the creative world in might just be the thing that banishes some of the winter blues out.

We hope Blue Monday isn't too blue for you today!

19/01/2025

Wishing everyone a very happy World Religion Day! 🥳

We are excited to be holding our 'Reading from a Religious Text' class once again in 2025, where we can enjoy presentations of our performers' favourite passages from their chosen religious text.

This is a special and joyous class that never fails to inspire, and we are delighted to be able to offer an opportunity for people young and old to explore the beauty and the challenges of reading aloud from a book of their faith.

We would be delighted for you to join us to watch this delightful class - look out for it in our full 2025 programme, available soon!

16/01/2025

There's still time to advertise your business or event in our 2025 Festival programme! 🤩

For more information and for full pricing, contact [email protected] before the end of January!

14/01/2025

Next up in our 'meet the committee' series is the lovely Manoj.

Manoj joined the committee a couple of years ago and is actively involved in loads of areas of Festival planning, from outreach to music planning - but he's particularly instrumental (pardon the musical pun) on the IT side and will be helping us to develop a brand new website and entry system for 2026 which is really exciting.

He's passionate about encouraging young people from all backgrounds to take part in the Festival. When explaining why he got involved, Manoj said: "The festival is an established institution on the Bedford calendar and has a rich heritage. It gives young people an opportunity to challenge themselves and get genuine, constructive feedback to help develop their abilities. Having seen my son go through the experience as an entrant, I was delighted to join the committee in order to help shape the future of the festival and nudge it towards changes that I felt ought to be made."

Look out for Manoj during Festival week, and be sure to say hello! 👋

11/01/2025

Our friends at .rotary are offering young musicians across Bedford the opportunity to enter the Young Musician Competition next week - if you are interested, drop an email to [email protected] asap and you may be called up to perform!

Good luck! 🎺🎻🎶

10/01/2025

As the Bedfordshire Festival draws ever closer (eek only 7 weeks tomorrow!) we thought it would be nice to introduce you to some of the faces that you will meet at this year's Festival - the people behind the scenes who ensure that everything runs smoothly and who will be looking after you throughout the week.

First up is the lovely Irina, who is new to the Festival committee this year and will be taking over as Chief Steward from 2026. Irina will be in charge of co-ordinating and supporting all of the stewards who run the Festival rooms and she would love to hear from anyone who is interesting in volunteering this year or in years to come.

Irina has been coming to the Festival for many years, with both of her girls taking part across the Music and Speech and Drama classes and even performing in the Gala Concert, so she has experienced first hand the benefits that the Festival offers to young people's confidence and the development of their talent.

Irina explains: "It is uplifting to see so many people every year enjoying the Festival experience, sharing their love for performing arts, celebrating each other's accomplishments, big and small.

"The Festival has a great positive impact on our diverse community, especially on young people, helping with their creativity, mental health and communication skills.
I am excited to be part of the incredible team of volunteers who work hard to keep the Festival going."

We're excited to have you on the team, Irina! Look out for Irina during the week, she will be delighted to meet you :)

04/01/2025

Do you want to encourage young people to continue to pursue their love of the arts?

As creative and expressive arts subjects are being squeezed from the school curriculum, it's vital that children have the chance to nurture their talent and build a passion for creativity, no matter what school they go to and what socio-economic background they grow up in.

We are looking for sponsors for the 2025 Bedfordshire Festival this March, where children from over 60 schools will gather to share their love of performing, to learn from each other and to make unforgettable memories.

Could you help us to achieve that? If so, please get in touch at [email protected] - no level of support is too small!

03/01/2025

Introducing our final Adjudicator for 2025, Speech and Drama specialist, Katrina Mulvihill 🤩

Katrina studied at The Rose Bruford College of Speech and Drama and feels privileged to have been part of the unique three year Actor/Teacher Course.

Having Graduated with Honours, she won a Scholarship to The Guildhall School of Music and Drama and went on to study Opera, Musical Theatre, Acting and Piano for a further two years.

Katrina, as a professional Soloist and Principle, has appeared at many prestigious venues over the years performing in Plays, Operas, Recitals and Concerts at The Drury Lane Theatre, The Shaw Theatre, Sadler’s Wells, The Purcell Room and the QEH.

Katrina is an experienced Director, as well as performer, and has enjoyed producing plays, concerts and shows with adults through to young children in a variety of styles ranging from Pantomime and Gilbert and Sullivan’s Light Operettas through to Shakespeare and Grand Opera.

A longstanding member of LAMDA’s Examining Board, for over 30 years, she has also regularly lectured and given Master classes for LAMDA and other multiple agencies in Mime, Improvisation, Acting, Voice Production and Musical Theatre to name but a few.

Katrina , until recently, served as a Headteacher for over 30 years across the State, Private and Independent sectors. She recently took early retirement to focus on and develop her private Communications, Speech and Drama School, Studio 'K', which she co-runs with her (fellow thespian) husband, Stefan. She has also increased her work and commitment as both a LAMDA Examiner and BIFF adjudicator.

We can't wait to welcome you back to Bedford in March, Katrina! 🎉

01/01/2025

Leaping into the new year like........

28/12/2024

Are you making any new year's resolutions to be more creative in 2025?

Whether it's joining a choir, taking up writing, exploring a new musical instrument or trying your hand at acting - taking on a new creative challenge is fantastic for your wellbeing.

The positive impact that creativity has on our mental and physical health, particularly the wellbeing of children, are well documented. Creative activities such as music and drama provide a way of expressing yourself and your feelings, they can reduce stress, offer opportunities to connect with other young people, improve problem-solving and boost self-esteem to name but a few benefits.

Could 2025 be the year that you find your creative passion?

24/12/2024

Wishing everyone a very happy festive break from all of us at Team Bedfordshire Festival.

We look forward to seeing you all again in the new year!

21/12/2024

We're really looking forward to welcoming Gill Johnson to our Festival in March, who will be our Strings Adjudicator! 🎻

Gillian studied the bassoon with Archie Camden at the Guildhall School of Music and Drama and, after a period of freelance playing, concentrated on a teaching career, before moving to Harpenden where she established her own Music School, ‘Harpenden Musicale’.

As well as running the Music School, Gill arranges Musicale Holidays, Competitions and a Summer Music Festival.

She is the founder and Musical Director of the National Children’s Wind Orchestra and associated groups and very much enjoys contact with young musicians, inspiring and enthusing their interest in music.

We can't wait to welcome you, Gill! 🤩

19/12/2024

Here's some brilliant news to brighten your Thursday!

Our entries are in for 2025 and we're thrilled to find out that over 60 DIFFERENT SCHOOLS have entered performers in the Festival for next year! 🤩

What an exciting prospect, that we'll get to meet all of you and enjoy your work in March! Keep practicing and we'll see you very soon!

17/12/2024

Last week, our Committee (minus a few members), gathered for the final planning meeting of the year and a festive celebration and it was great to talk about all the exciting plans that are underway for March 2025.

We are a group of volunteers who care passionately about giving opportunities to the young people of our county to be creative and showcase their musical and dramatic talent.

Thank you to everyone who has supported us in our mission this year, from our incredible team of stewards, to our generous sponsors and friends and to our encouraging audience members.

But most importantly, we want to say thank you to our performers themselves. You are the reason the Festival is such a special event, the reason why we work so hard to make sure the Festival continues and flourishes. And whether you come away with a trophy or not, you have to know that just by performing, you have done something magnificent that you can be truly proud of.

We wish a very merry Christmas and restful festive break to everyone in the Festival family.

15/12/2024

Introducing our Woodwind and Groups Adjudicator for 2025 - Timothy Barratt 👋

Timothy studied on a Scholarship at the Royal Academy of Music, winning many major awards, and completed his studies with Vlado Perlemuter in Paris and Geoffrey Parsons.

He has toured and broadcast extensively in the UK and abroad as soloist, accompanist and chamber music player.

Whilst still a student he developed a special interest in song accompaniment through playing for Masterclasses at Aldeburgh, subsequently partnering such artists as Dame Felicity Lott and Robert White.

Teaching forms a major part of his musical life and he works with pupils of all ages and levels from beginner to post-graduate. He was Head of Keyboard at Dulwich College for almost 25 years whilst also teaching at the RAM and TCM and now pursues a busy freelance career.

An ABRSM examiner since 1991, he is also a Trainer, Moderator and Mentor. Other work for the AB includes selecting the graded Piano pieces and presenting Seminars. He frequently directs Masterclasses for performers and teachers’ workshops in the UK and Far East and is in demand as a Competition and Festival adjudicator.

We're delighted he will be joining us in March!

12/12/2024

One of the classes we're really looking forward to in the 2025 Festival is the 'All-Rounder' class, where performers present a piece of music and a piece of speech and drama, linked by a theme of their choice.

This class was new in 2024 and was a real celebration of both sides of the Festival, giving performers the chance to showcase both their musical and dramatic talent.

Have you entered this year? We look forward to seeing what you have in store for us in March!

07/12/2024

Could you be a Festival Friend? ♥️

The Bedfordshire Festival is run almost entirely by volunteers and welcomes over 1500 performers each year to our 8-day event.

Every Festival cycle, we need to be able to raise enough funds to continue and this wouldn't be possible without the generous support of our sponsors and our Festival Friends.

The minimum donation to become a Festival Friend is just £15 per year - but you can give as much as you like above this fee! Plus, as an added bonus, if you're a UK taxpayer you can add Gift Aid to your donation which helps us even more.

If you become a Friend, you will receive a free Festival programme, be added to our Annual newsletter, you will be invited to our Gala concert and reception, be named in our Festival programme and you are entitled to attend and vote at our AGM.

But more than this, you'll be helping our young people to be creative in a world where creative subjects are being devalued and defunded.

Have we convinced you? If you'd like to find out more, get in touch at [email protected]

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Wishing everyone a very happy festive break from all of us at Team Bedfordshire Festival. We look forward to seeing you all again in the new year!

Entries are now open for the 2025 Bedfordshire Festival of Music, Speech and Drama. The 8-day event celebrates the finest musical and dramatic talent of Bedfordshire and beyond and offers over 250 competitive classes that cover most musical instruments and genres as well as many varied Speech and Drama disciplines. Although competitive in nature, the Festival is an annual celebration of the talent that can be found in Bedfordshire and the surrounding area and gives young and old alike the chance to share their passion for the performing arts. We hope you will join us for the 2025 Festival and share your hard work and talent with us. To view our syllabus or submit your entry, visit www.bedfordshirefestival.org.uk

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