The Hatfield and District Music Festival has been running for over 25 years and provides an invaluable opportunity for musicians of all ages and abilities, to compete in front of an audience and have their performances assessed by professional adjudicators.
It operates as a Charity and is run entirely by volunteers.
Entry
Entry to the Festival is open to all ages and abilities – it is for adults as well as children, and there are classes to suit absolutely everybody. Entries can be made by individuals (parents or teachers in the case of children under 18) or teachers (for whom there is a special entry form for multiple entries).
The entry form can be printed off but must be returned by post with the correct fee. We cannot accept email entries unfortunately.Non Competitive Entries
It is possible to enter on a non-competitive basis for those who wish to gain from the experience of performing in public and being assessed by an adjudicator, but who do not wish to actually compete.
Accompanist
There is an Official Festival Accompanist who can be booked to Accompany competitors on the day. The fees for this are listed on the entry form.
The Finalists' Competition
The winners of the Open Diploma Classes in each of the sections are invited to compete in the Finalists’ Competition and an overall Festival winner is chosen. The First Prizewinner is awarded a prize of £300 and may be offered the chance to perform in concert with the highly acclaimed ‘Philharmonic at UH’, the University of Hertfordshire’s resident Orchestra.
Spectators
The festival is open to the public who are welcome to come and watch any of the classes, as well as the Finalists Competition and Festival Concert There is a small entry fee which goes towards the running of the festival. The bigger the audience – the greater the experience for the performers !An Urgent Plea for Volunteers and Committee Members
On a less happy note, there is a real danger that the Festival will not be able to continue due to a lack of volunteers. In particular, we need Stewards to help man the festival, involving light duties and then allowing the opportunity to enjoy some of the wonderful music on offer! (this need only take up a few hours during one of the festival days). If you are interested in helping this worthwhile cause, please contact the Administrator. Any help will be greatly appreciated. We would also welcome new blood onto the Committee which organises the festival.
Sponsors
As we are a charitable organisation, we do rely on the generosity of sponsors and patrons, so if you have any thoughts about organisations with local and/or musical connections which may be interested in becoming associated with the Festival, then please do let us know. We are looking for sponsors/ patrons for the whole event and also, on a smaller scale, for individual classes and prizes.
