2027 Syllabus

A copy of the 2027 Syllabus can be downloaded here, it’s also in web page format below.

The Burton upon Trent, Competitive Music Festival is a Member of The British and International Federation of Music, Dance, and Speech.

Burton upon Trent Music Festival aims to provide a platform to amateur performers to enable them to perform and receive a professional adjudication about their performance.

Management Team 2026/2027

President	Coral Gould MBE
Vice President	John Gould
Chair	Sharon Bonner LLCM
Vice Chair	Patricia Thorpe
Treasurer	Vacant
Federation Files Secretary	Anne Andrews
Entries Secretary	Vacant
Trophies Secretary	Patricia Thorpe
Stewards Secretary	Vacant
Publicity Secretary	Lilly Prince
Associate Members	Carol Brittle Khan, Christine Eales, Katie Robb

Message From the Chairman

Thank you for taking the time to read the Burton Music Festival 2027 syllabus. As always, our goal is to provide competitors with a platform to perform and be assessed by experienced professionals in the music field. We’re continually working to grow and improve the Festival, taking on board feedback from competitors, teachers, and sponsors. Last year we introduced some new GUITAR classes and we offer these again this year, joining our much-loved Vocal and Piano categories.After the success of last years Festival with a record number of entries, we have set the date in April once again which will give everyone a little more preparation time. The Festival will take place on Sunday 25^th April 2027 at the Brewhouse Arts Centre. 

Entry Fees

We remain committed to keeping costs as low as possible, but with rising expenses, unfortunately, we have had to make a small increase of 25p to each of our class entry fees. 

Guitar Classes 

We’re thrilled to welcome Guitar classes again. We’ve developed a range of classes designed to suit different ages and abilities. These include Electric Guitar classes for various age groups, an Open Acoustic Guitar class, and a special Acoustic Guitar with Song class — perfect for budding guitarist-singers.

Vocal Classes

We continue to offer a wide range of Vocal classes across many genres and ages including our special Vocal class for teachers, professional singers, and full-time singing students.

Piano Classes

Working closely with local Piano teachers, we have made a slight adjustment to the classes offered this year. The Beginners Class now becomes Beginners & Grade 1 while the Grade 1 – 3 class now becomes Grade 2 – 3. We feel this will be a fairer opportunity for pianists. 

Adjudicators & Accompanists 

We’re delighted to welcome our new adjudicators to this year’s Festival. You can find their details below and read more about their experience and achievements.

As always, we’re fortunate to welcome back Karen Thompson as our regular accompanist, who has been part of the Festival since its very beginning. We’re also pleased to welcome Catherine Matthews, who will be joining us as a full-day accompanist for the first time, following her successful accompaniment of several classes last year.

Sponsorship Opportunities

We are once again deeply grateful to our sponsors, whose generosity makes this Festival possible. 

You may be surprised to learn that it costs over £5,000 to stage the Festival, with venue hire alone accounting for more than £2,000. Sponsorship is therefore vital in helping us cover these costs and keep the Festival running. If you know of any companies, theatre societies, choirs or individuals who might be willing to offer a small sponsorship contribution, we would be delighted to hear from you. Every contribution, however large or small, makes a real difference and is greatly appreciated. Please contact us at  burtoncompetitivemusicfestival@gmail.com

Thank you again and we look forward to receiving your application.

Sharon Bonner

 

2027 Timescales

Monday 26th November 2026	Online applications open Apply Here
Saturday 6th March 2027	Deadline for online applications, including choice of pieces to be performed.
Saturday 6th March 2027	Deadline for application payments. Applications will be denied if any payments are not received by midnight.
Saturday 27th March 2027	Deadline for submission of music for accompanist. To be submitted in PDF format, by email to: burtoncompetitivemusicfestival@gmail.com
Saturday 3rd April 2027	Deadline for submission of backing tracks for Pop and Jazz classes. These should be submitted in MP3 format and further information of the provision of these files will be provided to entrants after application.
Sunday 25th April 2027	Day of Music Festival

Adjudicators 2027

Gail Mortley
LRAM,ARCM,DipRAM

Gail is a professional singer, actress and teacher and studied at the Royal Academy of Music.

Her distinguished performing career has spanned opera, musical theatre and commercial theatre, with appearances for companies including Sadler’s Wells and Kent Opera. Her many roles include Violetta in La Traviata, Cosette in Les Misérables, Julie Jordan in Carousel and Joanna in Sweeney Todd. She was also a member of the original London cast of Chess and performed as principal soprano in The Music of Andrew Lloyd Webber in London and Seville.

Alongside her performing career, Gail has taught singing at professional institutions and now runs a thriving private practice, nurturing aspiring young performers. She is also an adjudicator for the British and International Federation of Festivals.

Sarah Jefferies
LRAM,ARCM

Sarah is a vocal graduate of the Royal Academy of Music, where she won numerous prizes for Early Music, Lieder and English Song. She continued her studies in Amsterdam before embarking on an international career, performing recitals and oratorios across Europe and as a member of the Opéra de Lyon, with whom she recorded several major works.

Sarah is a visiting voice teacher at Marlborough College and an experienced adjudicator, having worked throughout the UK and the Middle East, as well as at leading UK conservatoires. Passionate about the workings of the human voice, she enjoys helping singers of all ages and abilities develop their vocal skills.

Maria Jagusz
GRNCM.FISM

Maria trained initially as a dancer before studying at the Royal Northern College of Music, where she won the Ricordi Prize for Opera, followed by further studies at the National Opera Studio. She enjoyed a distinguished singing career with leading opera companies across the UK and Europe, performing roles including Carmen, Cherubino, Orlofsky and Dorabella, and working alongside world-renowned artists.

Maria now specialises in training aspiring opera and musical theatre professionals. She is Vocal Consultant for the International College of Music Theatre in London and Vocal Mentor for Longborough Festival Opera’s Young Artists Programme. Through her company, MJ-UK Music and Arts, she provides valuable performance opportunities for young singers and has directed numerous productions spanning opera and musical theatre. She has also led Longborough Festival Opera’s Playground Opera, bringing opera to young audiences through touring productions.

Ivan Scott
FTCL,LTCL(Recital),FLCM,LGSM

Ivan’s training included guitar performing with Oliver Hunt, Professor of Guitar at the London College of Music and attending master classes in Spain with Emilio Pujol, a student of the legendary Francisco Tarrega.
Since 1967 he has travelled to all parts of the UK giving recitals and workshops in addition to presenting programmes of guitar music and songs to schoolchildren of all ages.

He has regularly adjudicated for the Federation since 1982 and he is listed in the Private Teacher and Adjudicator sections of the ISM.

Accompanists 2027

Karen Thompson
ALCM

Karen was born in Burton and educated in local schools. She started to play the piano aged about 5, studying with local teachers. At 13, Karen took up the organ, tutored by Mike, her late husband, a local Organ Builder and organist. She subsequently had more organ lessons at Lichfield Cathedral, tutored by Jonathan Rees Williams.

Studying singing with Coral Gould, Karen gained her ALCM in 1993 and now teaches Piano, Church Organ, Singing and Theory.

She is much in demand as an accompanist and, in addition to being the regular pianist for The Burton Musical Theatre Company (formerly Burton Operatic Society) and for Burton and Derby vocal festivals, also accompanies students taking instrumental and vocal examinations.

Catherine Matthews
BA Hons Music

Catherine started to learn the piano at age 4. After being a member of County Youth Orchestra and winning Music Festivals on Piano in Cumbria, she went on to study BA Hons in Performance for Classical Piano at the Royal Birmingham Conservatoire. The highlight of her studies was winning the John Ireland Piano Prize and performing Beethoven’s Piano Concerto No 1.

After graduating she qualified to be a teacher and has been Head of Music and led the Arts Faculty at Ashby School for 28 years. During this time, she has also been Musical Director for Ashbiean Musical Theatre Group and The Tinhatters Theatre company at Hinckley Concordia. Catherine also conducted Meridian Windband in Solihull for 15 years before recently taking the position as Musical Director for Charnwood Symphonic Wind Orchestra.

As well as conducting, she has worked as an accompanist for Hinckley Concordia Youth Theatre as well as playing for numerous shows in the East Midlands as a pit musician. Alongside this she has accompanied for examinations, competitions and recitals as well as being a peripatetic piano and woodwind teacher.

 

Classes 2026

JUNIOR VOCAL CLASSES – UNDER 18

Class Number and Name	Song Type	Max. Song Duration	Sponsor and Award Name	Prize	Entry Fee
Class 1: 10 Years and Under	Own choice	Max. 3 mins	The Heron Video Trophy and The D&C Eales Award	1st – £25 2nd – £15 3rd – £10	£8
Class 2: 11 to 14 Years	Own choice	Max. 3 mins	The Albion Trophy and The Caroline Owen Award	1st – £25 2nd – £15 3rd – £10	£8
Class 3: 10 Years and Under	Show or Musical Film song 1970 – present	Max. 3 mins	The Mellow Dramatics Trophy and Award	1st – £25 2nd – £15 3rd – £10	£7.75
Class 4: 11 to 14 Years	Show or Musical Film song 1970 – present	Max. 3 mins	The Vadis Insurance Brokers Trophy and Award	1st – £25 2nd – £15 3rd – £10	£8
Class 5: 15 to 16 Years	Show or Musical Film song 1970 – present	Max. 3 mins	The Murray’s Funeral Directors Trophy and Award	1st – £25 2nd – £15 3rd – £10	£8
Class 6: 15 Years and Under	Classical song	Max. 3 mins	The Eric Reynolds Trophy and The Ivy Smith Award	1st – £25 2nd – £15 3rd – £10	£8
Class 7: 16 to 18 Years	Classical song	Max. 3 mins	The Tim Lawrence Trophy and The Nick Lawrence Award	1st – £25 2nd – £15 3rd – £10	£8

SENIOR SOLO VOCAL CLASSES

Class Number and Name	Song Type	Max. Song Duration	Sponsor and Award Name	Prize	Entry Fee
Class 8: Open Folk Song	Traditional, Unaccompanied	Max. 3 mins	The Anne Leatherland Trophy and The Kate and Brian Robb Award	£50	£9
Class 9: Open Foreign Language	Foreign Language	Max. 4 mins	The Darquise Bilodeau Trophy and The Barbara May Award	£50	£9
Class 10: 17 Years and Over	Show or Musical Film song 1970 – present	Max. 4 mins	The New Era Trophy and The JASS Award	£50	£9
Class 11: Classical Operatic or Oratorio Aria	Classical song	Max. 4 mins	The Mason Family Trophy and The Friday’s Friends Award	£50	£9
Class 12: English Classical	Art Song	Max. 3 mins	The Carol Brittle-Khan Trophy & Denis Mansfield Award	£50	£9
Class 13: Gilbert and Sullivan	Own choice	Max. 3 mins	The Mike Thompson Trophy and Karen Thompson Award	£50	£9
Class 14: Recital (three contrasting pieces)	Own choice	Max. 12 mins	The Thornley Trophy and The Festivities with Friends Award	£50	£12
Class 21: Jazz Solo (optional backing track)	Own choice	Max. 3 mins	The Syd Jones Trophy and Award	£50	£9
Class 22: Pop Song (Backing Track in MP3 format)	Pop Song	Strictly 4 mins	The Edwards Electrical Trophy and The ‘Jenny’ Award	£50	£9
Class 23: Open 1940 – 1969 Musical Theatre	Show or Musical Film song	Max. 3 mins	The Coral Gould Trophy and The Thorpe Award	£50	£9
Class 24 : Musical Theatre Recital (three contrasting pieces)	Show or Musical Film song	Max. 12 mins	TBC	TBC	£9
Class 30: Vocal Teachers, Professional Singers and Full Time Vocal Students	Own Choice	Max. 4 mins	N/A	£0	£9

DUET & EMSEMBLE VOCAL CLASSES

Class Number and Name	Song Type	Max. Song Duration	Sponsor and Award Name	Prize	Entry Fee
Class 15: Duet 11 Years and Under	Own choice	Max. 3 mins	The Keith Gould Trophy and the Andrew Last Award	£50	£12
Class 16: Duet 12 to 17 Years	Own choice	Max. 3 mins	The Rachel Gilman Trophy and The Alice Rose Bridal Award	£50	£12
Class 17: Duet 18 Years and Over	Own choice	Max. 3 mins	The Keith Gould Trophy and The Steven Mansfield Award	£50	£12
Class 18: Duet Musical Theatre Open	Show or Musical Film song	Max. 3 mins	The Crescendo Vocal Trophy and Sharon Bonner Award	£50	£12
Class 19: Junior Ensemble Ensemble classes limited to between 3 and 12 participants	Own choice	Max. 3 mins	The Edwards Electrical Trophy	TBC	£12
Class 20: Open Ensemble Ensemble classes limited to between 3 and 12 participants	Own choice	Max. 4 mins	The Burton Musical Theatre Company Trophy and Award	£50	£12

PIANO CLASSES

Class Number and Name	Song Type	Max. Song Duration	Sponsor and Award Name	Prize	Entry Fee
Class 25: Beginners and Grade 1 Piano	Own choice	Max. 3 mins	The David Mansfield Trophy and The Excel Music Schools Award	1st – £25 2nd – £15 3rd – £10	£8
Class 26: Grade 2 – 3 Piano	Own choice	Max. 3 mins	The March Trophy and The Mike Mear & Margaret Jolland Award	1st – £25 2nd – £15 3rd – £10	£8
Class 27: Grade 4 – 5 Piano	Own choice	Max. 3 mins	The Music with Carol Trophy and Award	£50	£9
Class 28: Grade 6 – 7 Piano	Own choice	Max. 3 mins	The Edd Thorpe Trophy and Award	£50	£9
Class 29: Grade 8 and Above Piano	Own choice	Max. 3 mins	The Festival Trophy	TBC	£9
Class 36: Piano Duet	Own choice	Max. 3 mins	TBC	TBC	£12
Class 36: Piano Duet with Teacher	Own choice	Max. 3 mins	TBC	TBC	£12

GUITAR CLASSES

Class Number and Name	Song Type	Max. Song Duration	Sponsor and Award Name	Prize	Entry Fee
Class 31: Guitar 12 yrs and under – Open	Own Choice	Max. 4 mins	TBC	TBC	£8
Class 32: Guitar 13- 18 yrs – Open	Own Choice	Max. 4 mins	TBC	TBC	£9
Class 33: Guitar Over 18 yrs – Open	Own Choice	Max. 4 mins	TBC	TBC	£9
Class 34: Acoustic Guitar – Open	Own Choice	Max. 4 mins	TBC	TBC	£9
Class 35: Acoustic Guitar with song	Own Choice	Max. 4 mins	TBC	TBC	£9

General Information

• • Ages refer to age of entrant as of 1^st April 2027.
  • Trophies are given to be kept for 1 year and are to be returned to the Trophies Secretary before the 2028 festival.

ACCOMPANIST FEES :

All entrants requiring the official accompanist will be required to pay a £6.25 accompanist fee for the day, payable at the time of entry, this covers an unlimited number of classes.

PAYMENT:

Please make payment for your classes and accompanist by Bank Transfer to the following account:

Overall Winners

Winners from each class compete for the Junior, Senior and Piano Overall Winner awards. The Overall Winners will be selected by the adjudicators.

Junior Overall Winner

Winners from classes 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 15, 16 & 19

The BADAC Trophy and the Little Theatre Company Award of £50

Senior Overall Winner

Winners from classes 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 17, 18, 20, 21, 22 & 24

The Coral and John Gould Quaich and The Coral and John Gould Award of £100

Piano Overall Winner

Winners from classes 25, 26, 27, 28, 29, 36 & 37

The Nannette Mansfield Award, donated by Denis Mansfield, of £50

Special Awards

The adjudicators will be responsible for awarding the special awards.

The Mabel Millin Trophy and Adele Bates Award

Awarded to the most promising vocalist under the age of 21. The receiver of this award does not need to have been placed in any of their classes.

The Marilyn Baker Trophy & Katie & Brian Robb Award

Awarded to the most promising female vocalist throughout the competition. The receiver of this award does not need to have been placed in any of their classes.

The Robert Adcock Trophy 

Awarded to the most promising male vocalist throughout the competition. The receiver of this award does not need to have been placed in any of their classes.