2024 Syllabus

A copy of the 2023 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 2023/2024

PRESIDENT: Coral Gould MBE
VICE PRESIDENT: John Gould
CHAIRMAN: Sharon Plummer LLCM
VICE CHAIRMAN: Patricia Thorpe
TREASURER: Chris Moss
FEDERATION FILES SECRETARY: Anne Andrews
ENTRIES SECRETARY: Vacant
TROPHIES SECRETARY: Patricia Thorpe
STEWARDS SECRETARY: Jean Edwards
PUBLICITY SECRETARY: Sian Plummer
ASSOCIATE MEMBERS: Robert Adcock, Carol Brittle Kahn, Christine Eales, Katie Robb

Message From the Chairman

Thank you for taking the time to look at the Burton Music Festival 2024 syllabus. You will be pleased to know that the entry fees and accompanist fee remain the same as 2023 to reflect the increasingly difficult cost of living issues. We are not about making a profit; our priority is to give the competitors a platform to perform and be assessed by professionals in the Music field.

The first point to note for the 2024 Festival, is the change of date from the usual 1^st Sunday in March to a little later in the month. The 2024 Festival will be held on 17^th March, at the Brewhouse Arts Centre.

2023 saw several issues on the day and the Management Team have sought comments from competitors, sponsors, adjudicators, audience members and stewards to ensure that those issues do not happen again, and that the day runs as smoothly as possible, as it has in previous years.

Much of the syllabus for 2024 remains the same as last year apart from the following change:

Due to lack of interest in previous years, the Senior Singers class has been replaced with another Music Theatre class covering Musical Theatre songs or songs from musical films written during the Golden Age, covering the years 1940 -1969. This class will be open to ANY age group. The other usual Musical Theatre classes for different age groups will cover the Contemporary Age of 1970 to current day. We hope this will encourage competitors to enter more than one Musical Theatre class.

We are continuing to offer 6 solo Piano classes for Beginner grades to Grade 8. Competitors must have achieved the grade they are entering or be working towards that grade.
Ensemble classes will remain restricted to between 3 and 12 participants in each Ensemble, to avoid large gatherings and excess numbers of audience members.
Entries to the Jazz class are welcomed from competitors singing “Jazz Standards” from the 1920’s to 1939 or something from a more modern composer. Jazz is a very individual interpretation of a song and again we are again also offering a choice to the entrants in the Jazz class to use a backing track or piano accompanist.
The Junior Duet Class is split between under 11s and 12-17 years to recognise the differing capabilities of the age groups. The lower age group are not expected to sing in harmony whereas the upper age group would be expected to demonstrate a basic level of harmonisation.

We welcome 3 new adjudicators and hope they will enjoy the day and offer much encouragement and advice for the participants.

Once again, we have been fortunate to retain our wonderful sponsors, without whom, the Festival wouldn’t be what it is, and we hope they will also continue to support us in years to come.

As always, we welcome your suggestions for any part of the Festival before during and after the day. We strive to make it as welcoming and as inclusive as possible whilst retaining our high standards and ethics.

If you have any questions about anything, please email burtonvocalfestival@gmail.com and one of the Team will contact you.

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

Sharon Plummer

Chairman

Management Team

2024 Timescales

Saturday 30^th September 2023	Online applications open Apply Here
Saturday 27^th January 2024 (Midnight)	Deadline for online applications, including choice of pieces to be performed.
Saturday 27^th January 2024 (Midnight)	Deadline for application payments. Applications will be denied if any payments are not received by midnight.
Saturday 3^rd February 2024	Deadline for submission of music for accompanist. To be submitted in PDF format, by email to: burtonvocalfestival@gmail.com
Saturday 2^nd March 2024	Deadline for submission of backing tracks for Pop and Jazz classes. These should be submitted in MP4 format and further information of the provision of these files will be provided to entrants after application.
Sunday 17^th March 2024	Day of Music Festival

Adjudicators 2024

Rebecca Moseley-Morgan

MA, BA (Hons), ARCM (Hons)

In her early career, Rebecca won scholarships to the Royal College of Music and Opera School and sung professionally at Glyndebourne, WNO and Opera 80, amongst others. As a soloist, she has performed throughout the UK and Europe.

Rebecca is currently chair of Education for the British Voice Association. She is currently involved in research work with colleagues at the BVA and has a busy voice studio in Oxford. She gives workshops throughout the UK on the functionality of the voice, accent breathing and vocal care and maintenance. She gives workshops and courses on voice science, tips, and techniques for choral singers, maintaining the mature voice and breathing.

Rebecca has an MA in musicology and is currently nearing the end of her PhD research at UCL.

Anne Marshall – Adjudicator for Piano Classes

MA, LRAM, PGCE

Anne grew up in a musical family on the Isle of Wight, conducting her first choir at 14 and taking part annually in the Isle of Wight Music Festival. She graduated from Liverpool University, where she studied piano, singing and viola, as well as developing an interest in composing.

Anne has combined a busy career as a Director of Music in comprehensive schools with singing, writing and arranging choral music. She has taught in Cheshire, London, Corby, Leicestershire, Rutland and Cheltenham, and is an experienced examiner at GCSE and A level music for the OCR board.

Now based in Cardiff, Anne has performed with the BBC National Chorus of Wales and Llandaff Cathedral Choir.

As a grades, diploma and jazz examiner for ABRSM, Anne frequently works internationally as well as training new examiners and fulfilling a moderator role for ABRSM in the U.K.

Anne has been an Adjudicator member of the British and International Federation of Festivals since 2013.

Irene Grant-Jones – Adjudicator for Vocal Classes

Irene’s enthusiasm for inspiring singers of all ages underpins her vocal journey. She won the soprano prize at the Llangollen International Eisteddfod as a teenager and studied at the Royal Academy of Music and was awarded the Parepa Rosa prize.

Irene’s work covers opera, oratorio, solo recitals and musical theatre. Most recent performances include the Messiah, Carmina Burana, Bach Cantata 51 and operatic arias from Carmen, La Boheme, Madame Butterfly, Russalka, Gianni Schicchi, Cavalleria Rusticana, La Traviata and Lucia di Lammermoor, as well as many of the show songs from musicals and soloist at Bedford’s Proms in the Park with the London Philharmonia.

Currently writing a book on voice production and teaching, she enjoys leading vocal and choral workshops where her master classes have been both educational and fun for all ages. She has QTS status, a degree in drama, dance and English cultural studies.

Irene has composed over 300 poems and recently Irene completed the lyrics for a musical based on a true story by Peter Gladwin, ‘Out of the Ashes’.

Classes 2024

General Information

Ages refer to age of entrant as of 1^st March 2024.
Trophies are given to be kept for 1 year, and are to be returned to the Trophies Secretary before the 2025 festival.

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 2^nd – £15 3^rd– £10	£7.50
Class 2: 11 to 14 Years	Own choice	Max. 3 mins	The Albion Trophy and The Caroline Owen Award	1st – £25 2^nd – £15 3^rd– £10	£7.50
Class 3: 10 Years and Under	Show or Musical Film song 1970 – present	Max. 3 mins	The Mellow Dramatics Trophy and Award	1st – £25 2^nd – £15 3^rd– £10	£7.50
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 2^nd – £15 3^rd– £10	£7.50
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 2^nd – £15 3^rd– £10	£7.50
Class 6: 15 Years and Under	Classical song	Max. 3 mins	The Eric Reynolds Trophy and The Ivy Smith Award	1st – £25 2^nd – £15 3^rd– £10	£7.50
Class 7: 16 to 18 Years	Classical song	Max. 3 mins	The Tim Lawrence Trophy and The Nick Lawrence Award	£50	£7.50
Class 8: Open Folk Song	Traditional, Unaccompanied	Max. 3 mins	The Anne Leatherland Trophy and The Kate and Brian Robb Award	1st – £25 2^nd – £15 3^rd– £10	£8.50
Class 9: Open Foreign Language	Foreign Language	Max. 4 mins	The Darquise Bilodeau Trophy and The Barbara May Award	£50	£8.50
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	£8.50
Class 11: Classical Operatic or Oratorio Aria	Classical song	Max. 4 mins	The Mason Family Trophy and The Friday’s Friends Award	£50	£8.50
Class 12: English Classical	Art Song	Max. 3 mins	The Carol Brittle-Khan Trophy and Award	£50	£8.50
Class 13: Gilbert and Sullivan	Own choice	Max. 3 mins	The Mike and Karen Thompson Trophy and Award	£50	£8.50
Class 14: Recital (three contrasting pieces)	Own choice	Max. 12 mins	The Thornley Trophy and The Festivities with Friends Award	£50	£11.50
Class 15: Duet 11 Years and Under	Own choice	Max. 3 mins	The Keith Gould Trophy and Award	£50	£11.50
Class 16: Duet 12 to 17 Years	Own choice	Max. 3 mins	The Rachel Gilman Trophy and The Alice Rose Bridal Award	£50	£11.50
Class 17: Duet 18 Years and Over	Own choice	Max. 3 mins	The Keith Gould Trophy and Award	£50	£11.50
Class 18: Duet Musical Theatre Open	Show or Musical Film song	Max. 3 mins	The Crescendo Vocal Trophy and Sharon Plummer Award	£50	£11.50
Class 19: Junior Ensemble *Ensemble classes limited to between 3 and 12 participants*	Own choice	Max. 3 mins	The Edwards Electrical Trophy and Award	£50	£11.50
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	£11.50
Class 21: Jazz Solo *(optional backing track)*	Own choice	Max. 3 mins	The Syd Jones Trophy and Award	£50	£8.50
Class 22: Pop Song *(Backing Track in MP4 format)*	Pop Song	Strictly 4 mins	The Edwards Electrical Trophy and The ‘Jenny’ Award	£50	£8.50
Class 23: Open 1940 – 1969 Musical Theatre	Show or Musical Film song	Max. 3 mins	The Coral Gould Trophy and The Thorpe Award	£50	£8.50
Class 24: Beginners Piano	Own choice	Max. 3 mins	The David Mansfield Trophy and The Excel Music Schools Award	1st – £25 2^nd – £15 3^rd– £10	£7.50
Class 25: Grade 1 – 3 Piano	Own choice	Max. 3 mins	The March Trophy and The Mike Mear & Margaret Jolland Award	1st – £25 2^nd – £15 3^rd– £10	£7.50
Class 26: Grade 4 – 5 Piano	Own choice	Max. 3 mins	The Music with Carol Trophy and Award	£50	£8.50
Class 27: Grade 6 – 7 Piano	Own choice	Max. 3 mins	The Edd Thorpe Trophy and Award	£50	£8.50
Class 28: Grade 8 and Above Piano	Own choice	Max. 3 mins	TBC	£50	£8.50

Overall Winners and Special Awards

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 Keith Gould and Little Theatre Company Award of £60

Senior Overall Winner

Winners from classes 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 17, 18, 20, 21, 22 & 23

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

Piano Overall Winner

Winners from classes 24, 25, 26, 27 & 28

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

Special Awards

The adjudicators are responsible for awarding the special awards.

The Mabel Millin 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 Award

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

The Robert Adcock Award

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