This year marks the centenary of Norfolk County Music Festival. Chair of Trustees Alex Girdlestone reflects on 100 years of amateur making music – and what there is to look forward to this year
Who are you and what do you do?
We are the Norfolk County Music Festival, and our purpose is to encourage amateur music making and drama throughout the county and beyond.
We offer the chance for children and adults to perform in front of a friendly audience and receive feedback from high quality experienced musicians and educators.
The Festival runs from 10th to 22nd March and is held in various venues across Norwich, including The Assembly House and St Peter Mancroft Church. Traditionally, St Andrew’s Hall (The Halls) has been our showcase venue, and we are pleased that King’s Conference Centre have been able to accommodate us while The Halls are closed for renovations.
Unlike many such festivals around the country, the NCMF is non-competitive, the emphasis is on constructive criticism so there are no winners and consequently no losers. The adjudicators are asked to identify “Things to celebrate” and “Things to think about”.
Certificates are awarded to all, and the aim is that everyone should gain something from the experience of performing. Many performers, both young and not so young return year after year which suggests we are at least partially successful in this aim!
For those not in the know, what is the background to the Norfolk County Music Festival?
The Norfolk County Music Festival was started in 1925 (hence the centenary celebration this year) by Arthur Shorten as he was apparently concerned that the advent of the ‘wireless’ would take the place of family music making in the home. His aim was pretty much the same then as ours is today – to keep music alive in the face of ever-changing technology.
Despite our best efforts, little information has been unearthed about Arthur Shorten beyond these bare facts so we would be delighted if your readers could furnish us with more information.
How has it evolved over the past 100 years?
Little remains of the early records of the Festival and we can only guess at how the various classes were organised and it is unlikely that there is anyone still around who will the pre-war days. We would love to hear from anyone with recollections of performing in days gone by though.
In some respects, I imagine little has changed: there are still school choirs singing in St Andrew’s Hall (when it re-opens) and violinists playing everything from Twinkle Twinkle to a Mozart concerto. In other ways there will be enormous differences. We now have a Jazz, Rock and Pop session which has proved very popular in recent years and schools even enter whole class ensembles.
What is happening in this centenary year?
In addition to the usual classes, we have several extra events planned. On Saturday 15th at lunchtime several adult choirs will be singing on Millennium Plain after their classes in St Peter Mancroft Church.
Friday 21st March will see some of the School Choirs assemble on Millennium Plain at the Forum to sing a song written especially for us by Tony Bailey, a local musician and songwriter well known in the city and beyond.
On Saturday 22nd March at King’s Conference Centre, we are presenting two children’s concerts in association with Norwich Philharmonic Orchestra. These family friendly concerts feature Zeb Soanes reading his children’s book ‘Gaspard’s Foxtrot’ to music written especially to go with the story by Jonathan Dove. The book’s illustrator James Mayhew will also be there, drawing the book’s action in real time to be projected on a large screen. It promises to be quite an event!
What can you say about the programme for this year? Any particular highlights you would like to mention?
There are two special projects running this centenary year which we hope will attract new performers to the Festival now and in the future.
An experienced singing teacher is helping three schools without specialist music teachers develop the skills to run their own choirs and bring them to the Festival.
A professional brass player and teacher is running classes in eight SEND schools in Norfolk, helping the pupils to develop their musicality and there will be a day at King’s Centre (Monday 17th March) during the Festival when they will get the opportunity to perform in public, probably for the first time. This promises to be a truly special event.
The Festival also puts together a ‘Best of the Festival’ Gala concert on Sunday 6th April showcasing some of the finest performances to have taken place across the two weeks in March. The venue is the Music Room at the Assembly House and the music making is of the very highest standard – not to be missed!
How can people find out more about the Festival/support the charity?
Please visit our website: norfolkmusic.org.uk for further information or contact our Festival Manager: info@norfolkmusic.org.uk
We are always looking for new volunteers to help at the various venues and of course donations are welcome – it costs a great deal to provide everything necessary to keep the Festival running.
What are your hopes and dreams for Festival?
Simply that someone will be looking forward to performing at the Norfolk County Music Festival in 100 years’ time!
The 2025 Norfolk County Music Festival will run from Monday 10 to Friday 21 March, 2025 at various venues across Norwich. Visit norfolkmusic.org.uk.
Feature image of Alex Girdlestone (front row, kneeling) and the rest of the Norfolk County Music Festival team – supplied
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