Pianists Take Note!

Most of the piano classes this year will be taking place on Saturday 9th March and
will be held at Trinity Methodist Church – now called “Trinity St Andrews”.
(This is NOT the large church complex on Newmarket Street)

Trinity Church is in the block between Westmoreland Street and Duckett Street which both lead off Sackville Street.  The entrance is from Duckett Street.
The What3Words location for the entrance is https://w3w.co/notice.generals.tastings

Click the image to enlarge it:

Trinity is beautifully and recently re-ordered – and it has a delightful Yamaha Baby Grand piano.  We hope that this will, while providing a suitable instrument for some of our maestros, be a little less intimidating for some of the younger ones than the enormous bulk of the Festival Grand Piano in Christ Church.

Parking is not easy (just like Christ Church!) but you should find a space somewhere close.

Posted in Uncategorised | Comments Off on Pianists Take Note!

Final arrangements

As  many will know, we are working hard to finalise arrangements to hold the 2024 Festival under the requirements of Local Authority licensing.

These, along with a necessary shift of dates, mean that many classes are rearranged – and we already know that this will not suit some.  At least, next year, we will be able to plan further ahead!

The programme is all but complete and will go out to all entrants within the next few hours – though, until we actually receive our licence from the authorities, we cannot guarantee that the Festival can go ahead at all…  On the assumption that it will do, then the plan as published will go ahead; sadly, there is now no longer any wriggle-room.

  • Almost all piano classes will be held on the excellent Yamaha baby grand at Trinity Methodist church on Saturday 9th March
  • Adult vocal classes will be on the same day in Christ Church.
  • There will be no individual classes in the mornings during the week; some school group classes can be held.
  • The final concert will be on the evening of Friday 15th March
Posted in Uncategorised | Comments Off on Final arrangements

Frequently Asked Questions

We’re thrilled to see entries for the March Festival arriving!  We’re also getting a few queries by phone and email.  If you have a problem, don’t hesitate to get in touch.

There’s a fairly full description of the booking process here
– but these are a few of the things that we’re getting asked:

I can’t log in (or find) the online entry site.

Any login information you used last year will not work!  We are using a new system called “Play and Perform”.  It’s a lot easier to administer – and the P&P people are brilliant at responding to our queries.  Your old RunMyFestival log in details are no longer relevant and you need to create a new account with Play and Perform.
Log in and register here: Play and Perform Booking Site

My entries seem to have disappeared.

As you create your entries, they collect in your basket.  When you complete that basket, you are given the option to pay, those entries are moved from the basket into “pending” till that payment is confirmed.   When you pay by BACS or cheque, that does not happen till we receive, either the cheque or a notification from you that you have paid online.  It’s not an entry yet – but there’s nothing more for you to do except to let us know you’ve paid.

A note about the basket.  It is a lot more work for us if you enter multiple entries with different baskets.  Try to gather them all into one basket and deal ith them all at once!

There’s nowhere to book the official accompanist.

There is now!  This was an omission on my part as we set up the syllabus.  It’s in place now and if you want to add that request to your entry, please log in again.  Select “View My Entries” and then click on the pencil on the left.   You need to select Yes or No to the question about the accompanist.

There are several classes for whom an accompanist is irrelevant (piano classes and folk songs come to mind).  You should not be asked the question for these but if you are, please just say “no”.  If you can point out my error by email, so much the better!

Just a few days to the online deadline!  Get your entries in as soon as you can!

(The paper copy deadline has PASSED!)

Posted in Uncategorised | Comments Off on Frequently Asked Questions

A Piano Afternoon

There’s a new (free!) Music Festival event in September.

All teachers, with their pupils along with parents and children are warmly invited to a Piano Afternoon at Trinity Methodist Church on Saturday 9th September.

There will be a series of workshops/masterclasses featuring performers from the 2023 Festival that will highlight the features of our new 2024 piano syllabus.

But it’s not just the workshops!

You will be the first to get your hands on this year’s new syllabus – and can sit back and enjoy a recital by the rising star, Josh Luxon-Robinson.
Josh has grown up through the classes at the Skipton Music Festival and is now reaching towards a professional career at the Royal Welsh College of Music and Drama.

(Not only that – there’s reputed to be tea and cake on offer as well!)

For more details, contact Kate Isaac on 07967 097394

Trinity Methodist Church is on Westmoreland Street in Skipton (BD23 2EA) and the afternoon will start at 2:30pm – and entry is free!

Posted in Uncategorised | Comments Off on A Piano Afternoon

An update…

We have the wording of some of the classes slightly wrong…

Just to be clear…  All of the non-competitive classes (Classes 521 – 532) are open to solo performers as well as to duets/trios or small ensembles.

The price structure is set to reflect these choices in the appropriate age range.

Posted in Uncategorised | Comments Off on An update…

Coming, Ready or Not

The date for the 2023 Festival is getting nearer and nearer…

The Syllabus is now published.
You’ll find that here

The online booking system is ready and available – entries are beginning to come in!

The deadline is 14th January
– and there’s a warning!

We’ll be quite fierce with the deadline!  If you are late, there’s a good chance that your entry will be refused.

Keep watching this space…

Posted in Uncategorised | Comments Off on Coming, Ready or Not

Wow!

As they almost used to say, That was a Week, That Was!

We had an amazing week of performance in Christ Church

… it was crowned with a fabulous concert in the Town Hall.  That was only the third time that tickets have ever sold out since the hall was reopened.

Read all about it here

Posted in Uncategorised | Comments Off on Wow!

Bookings are flooding in…

Ticket sales are forging ahead for our Centenary Concert
with Jess Gillam!

Jess will be playing alongside several of the emerging stars who will have been entertaining us during the week-long Festival in Christ Church, Skipton during the previous week.

Some tickets will be on sale in the Christ Church foyer during the Festival events but all online sales are being administered directly by Skipton Town Hall Box Office, where the event will be held.  To buy your ticket, please visit their box office site here.

 

Posted in Uncategorised | Comments Off on Bookings are flooding in…

We are live

The Festival Syllabus for our Centenary Year is now published and the booking system is live (though you cannot actually complete a booking before 31st October)

We look forward to seeing a bumper crop of entries in this, our Centenary Year…

Posted in Uncategorised | Comments Off on We are live

Full Steam Ahead!

We’ve just about got our beans in a row for 2022…

The first big news is that, with support from the Arts Council,
we have arranged for Jess Gillam to headline our Centenary Concert.

Jess is an internationally acclaimed saxophonist, broadcaster and presenter and she has agreed to come and play for us and to talk with our own young and rising stars who will be sharing the programme that night.

Jess has been involved with the Festival movement and is keen that festivals such as ours will survive and thrive.

Another headline for the week is that we have a new Official Accompanist – none other than our own Nicole Johnson!  Nicole has grown up with the Skipton Festival from her very early days and she is now established as a freelance pianist, vocal coach and musical director.  We are delighted to be able to welcome her back again!

Nicole is an accomplished accompanist – and fully appreciates the needs and pressures of our young performers!

The Centenary Festival will take place at Christ Church, Skipton from 7th – 12th March.
The Festival Concert will be in Skipton Town Hall on the evening of Sunday 13th March.

The syllabus is prepared!  You will find that here.  There is a limited numer of printed copies available – if you want one to be posted to you, read here.

Entries will close on 17th January.

Posted in Uncategorised | Comments Off on Full Steam Ahead!