Welcome to the Wharfedale Festival Centenary Syllabus for 2007. 

We are proud to be celebrating our hundredth and first Festival in May 2007, 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 new classes.

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.

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, ie. 20th February 2007.  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 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.

One important change to the rules this year, to which I must draw your attention, is that 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.

Finally, in a bid to re-invent our Festival Gala Concert, the Management Committee has decided to try an entirely new formula.  Our 2007 Festival Concert will be held on Wednesday 23rd May, the week following the Festival, and will feature our major trophy winners overall.  It will be a Celebration Concert of all that makes our Festival one of the finest in the entire UK, and will be held in Christchurch.  

I do hope that we see YOU there!

Many thanks,

Elizabeth M Sharp
Festival Secretary