THE CHAIRMAN WRITES……… 

Welcome to the Croydon Music Festival, 2009

To Performers

With thousands of you taking part in the 2008, Croydon Music Festival, I look forward to seeing and hearing you again at the 2009 Festival. Welcome to any of you who have not previously taken part, and do remember that as well as trophies, there are seven classes with a £200 top prize.

When I was a young student, I gained a lot of valuable experience performing at Music Festivals (a more valuable experience, I found, than taking music exams!). With our main venue at the fine Whitgift School Concert Hall (the first building up the drive from Nottingham Road), as well as the Ashcroft Theatre, Fairfield; Old Palace School, Royal Russell School and Croydon Parish Church, we enjoy first class local facilities.

I hope you take the valuable opportunity of visiting other classes in which you are not involved: you can enjoy and learn so much from listening and watching other performances. Remember that each school age performer (except for individual members of choirs) will receive a ‘Performer’s Ticket’ which allows you free admission to any other class in the Festival.

To Parents

Please encourage your young performers to look in on some of the many other different classes in the Festival. They can learn so much from watching and listening to other performers, and hearing the helpful words of different adjudicators.

To Teachers

Thank you for all your support for Croydon Music Festival over the years. I value any comments you would like to make which you feel would help the Festival, so please feel free to contact me by letter or ‘phone. Although there are several experienced teachers on the Festival Committee, over the years, we have benefited so much from other teachers’ suggestions regarding various areas of the Festival. Please encourage your pupils to look in on other classes in which they are not involved; there is so much they can learn from watching and listening to other performers.

Good luck to all your pupils! I hope they enjoy the Croydon Music Festival experience.

I look forward to meeting many of you during the 2009 Festival.

David Squibb
Chairman