Welcome to the Wharfedale Festival Syllabus for 2008. 

We are proud to be celebrating our hundred and second Festival in May 2008, and I hope you will agree that although our Festival is old in years, it is young in imagination and innovation as it continues to develop and introduce exciting new classes and put new spin on old ones.

We extend our thanks once again to the Ilkley Bandstand 2000 Trust for offering concert engagements to winning brass and concert bands and also to the Guiseley Music Centre for their generous provision of a year’s free admission to any ensemble of the winner’s choice.  Thanks also to the Rotary Club of Ilkley for the generous provision of the Frank Newbould Rotary Award to be assigned to the Adult Choir classes as an overall special prize, new this year.

We have tried to make Syllabus 2008 a more easily navigable site by rearranging the order in which the instrumental classes are listed.  We hope this will prove to be more convenient to you as you skim through to find your particular interest.  Some of the Instrumental classes therefore do not run in numerical order.

Also, in a bid to attract more entries, you will find that the String classes have been amalgamated, and likewise the Recorders.  This means that within each age group any instrument of the string family may be played, and any voice in the recorder classes.

We hope that this, and also the increase of class age groups in the instrumental section, will make a more exciting Festival Syllabus.  Speech and Drama aficionados will notice many exciting new classes, one of which is designed for the hearing-impaired.  (See class 63).  Although the proposed scheduling of classes is indicated alongside each one, I would respectfully remind you that the Festival reserves the right to alter these should circumstances so dictate.  Such a decision will not be taken lightly and only as a last resort.  For further information, please contact the Secretary either by telephone or at her e-mail address. 

While it is noted that Key Stage 2 SATS once again coincide with Festival Week, we will do our utmost to ensure that all classes for children of 10 years and over are scheduled for late afternoon/early evening.  This problem will not recur in 2009, as the Festival moves on one week to avoid the May Bank Holiday, the dates being 16th to 23rd May, 2009.

I would like to appeal to all who submit entries that they ensure these are posted in time to arrive on or before the closing date, i.e. 25th February 2008.  Whilst every effort is made to accommodate late entries, it does place an unbearable strain on the preparation of the programme with regard to class schedules and the calculation of timings, bearing in mind the programme printing deadline, which is not negotiable. 

With this in mind, therefore, the Management Committee has decided to impose a late entry penalty fee of £2.00 per entry received significantly later than the closing date.

I do hope you will be able to support me and comply with this request, thus assisting us to improve the quality of timekeeping and the efficient running of all classes during the week of the Festival.

All musicians are allowed to use the services of their own Accompanist.  If you wish to use a Festival Official Accompanist, you are asked to indicate this on your Entry Form in the appropriate place. 

Please return the whole of the Entry Form, and not just the first half, in order to avoid the loss of important information.  Please read your Entry Form carefully as it contains new and important additional information.

Meanwhile, why not visit our exciting and innovative, multi -award-winning website on www.wharfedalefestival.co.uk  and find out all about us.

Many thanks,

Elizabeth M Sharp
Festival Secretary