Aspiring musicians, actors and dancers are being invited to demonstrate their skills at one of the county’s longest-standing performing arts festivals.
Now in its 95th year, the Sudbury Festival of Performing Arts is set to take place between February 11 and March 12, with a showcase concert wrapping up the event on March 19.
The competitive event is open to performers of all ages and gives them an opportunity to enter as a soloist or as part of a group in front of a sympathetic audience, and to receive an assessment from a professional adjudicator.
The competition started in 1922 as the Clare Festival and gradually expanded and moved to Sudbury. It now offers around 400 classes across the three main disciplines of music, dance, and speech and drama.
Mary Davies, chairman of the festival committee, said: “Children and adults with a wide range of abilities from all over East Anglia take part and benefit enormously from the experience – learning the discipline of preparing their piece, taking the stage, and watching and listening to their peers.
“There is an even wider choice of classes this year and we hope everyone interested can find something to suit his or her talents.”
This year, the dance section of the competition is at the Ormiston Academy from February 11 to 16. The music section runs from March 1 to 5, with speech and drama following on from March 9 to 12, both at the Delphi centre in Newton Road.
The closing concert will take place at the Ormiston Academy showcasing some of the talented performers across all three disciplines.
Programmes are available on the festival’s website at sudburyfestival.org.uk and at the Tourist Information Centre in Sudbury library. They can be picked up from Compact Music, North Street, Sudbury, and Balaam’s Music, Risbygate, Bury St Edmunds.
Comments: Our rules
We want our comments to be a lively and valuable part of our community - a place where readers can debate and engage with the most important local issues. The ability to comment on our stories is a privilege, not a right, however, and that privilege may be withdrawn if it is abused or misused.
Please report any comments that break our rules.
Read the rules here