The Wansbeck Music Festival
(Founded 1906 - Charity Commission Registered Charity No 1044978)
Affiliated to the British and International Federation of Festivals of Music, Dance and Speech.
Patron - Her Majesty the Queen
This Morpeth Competitive Festival is based upon the River Wansbeck and its surrounding areas and serves musicians of all ages from around the North East region. The Festival attracts well over 1000 entries from competitors both individual and in ensembles ranging from Duets to Orchestras, Bands and Choirs. Competitors came from as far afield as Alnwick to Teesside.
In 2006 the Festival celebrated it’s Centenary Year - although only the 94th Festival since competitions were not held during World War II.
In 2009 the 97th General Festival will run for a total of 8 days with 4 evening sessions during March. The partnership with the Northumberland Brass Band Association, set up in 2006, continued successfully in 2007 and 2008 and we will again hold a two day Brass Festival Weekend in April 2009 with the aim of general encouragement of brass playing in the area and specifically to encourage younger brass players. In addition to an increased entry of individuals players this event has attracted up to 10 brass bands to enter the adult band competitions.
The Wansbeck Music Festival is affiliated to the British and International Federation of Festivals of Music, Dance and Speech.
Our Principal Sponsors are:
Morpeth Town Council
The Royal Bank of Scotland
Wansbeck District Council
Castle Morpeth Borough Council
New Bursaries
Morpeth Town Council has once again demonstrated its commitment to the young musicians of the area by awarding a special bursary to the Wansbeck Music Festival. This bursary will enable a talented musician between the ages of 11 and 21 years to attend the 2009 European Youth Summer Music School (EYSM) at Haileybury College in Hertford which is organized and run by the British & International Federation of Festivals.
The Summer School attracts performers from all over Europe and has a range of activities both musical and social. The Course Directors and Tutors are all well-established professional musicians and cover every kind of music discipline. There will also be the opportunity to take part in public concerts which will be professionally recorded.
This award by Morpeth Town Council will give the recipient the opportunity to enjoy working with professional musicians for a relaxed and very rewarding week.
Wansbeck Music Festival are also very pleased to be able to offer a second Bursary for the EYSM partly funded by a grant from the Aprille Bonner Memorial funds and awarded by the British & International Federation of Festivals plus local funding from Wansbeck Music Festival. Aprille Bonner was Chairman of the Northern Region of the Federation for some years.
The two recipients will be chosen at the forthcoming Festival in March by the Adjudicator, Gareth Green, making his third visit to the Festival. The two awards, each worth over £450, will be offered to two young musicians who in the opinion of the Adjudicator are most likely to benefit from attendance at the EYSM. The two prizes will be awarded by the Chairman of Morpeth Town Council and the Leader of Northumberland County Council respectively at the final concert given by some of the prize winners on 29th March at 6.00 pm in St. George's United Reformed Church in Morpeth. The concert will be attended also by the Leader of Wansbeck District Council and the Mayor of Castle Morpeth who will present two other major prizes and this will be one of their final duties before the new Unitary Authority comes into being.