Ballymena Festival of Music, Speech and Dance
Welcome to our 2012 Musical Festival which runs for 3 weeks and will involve some 6000 performers, drawn not only from the Ballymena are but provincewide, the Republic and greater UK.
Our Festival continues to thrive where, sadly, others are experiencing difficulty, due to financial constraints and lack of support. Our success is due, in no small measure, to the continued financial support and interest from the local business community. I trust they can feel justly proud that their support is providing many of our young people with the platform on which to display their varied artistic talents. We also rely heavily on the continued interest and dedication shown by the teachers from our local schools and it is greatly to their credit that the standard of competition continues to grow from year to year.
Please enjoy the Festival in its superb surroundings, and be sure not to miss our Gala Nights, which promise to be memorable evenings.
Stanley Hughes
Chairman
The 2012 Festival
Music - Instrumental: Monday 20th February to Saturday 25th February
Music - Vocal: Monday 20th February to Saturday 3rd March
Speech and Drama: Thursday 23rd February to Saturday 3rd March
Traditional Music: Saturday 18th February
Dance: Friday 3rd February to Saturday 18th February
The Festival takes place during February and March each year in the new Braid Arts Centre in Ballymena which has modern facilities for most major performing arts. The Festival provides a wide opportunity for performers at all stages of music, speech, drama and dance. Gala Nights featuring major classes and performances representing the best in each section take place on Saturday evenings during the Festival. There are a number ofmajor bursaries and awards in each section as well as awards for schools and other smaller bursaries intended to encourage younger performers.
Gala Nights
The festival includes two gala Nights: the Young Instrumentalist Gala on the first Saturday evening of the Music weeks and the Final Vocal and Prizewinners Gala on the last Saturday evening. The Instrumental Gala includes the Young Instrumentalist of the Year competition and the Piano Concerto Competition. The Final Gala includes the Young Voice Competition, the final of the Female Voice Repertoire and demonstrations by the Speech, Dance and Instrumental sections as well as the Prizewinners ceremony. Both Gala Evenings are followed by a finger supper for performers and guests.
For further information visit the Ballymena Festival of Music, Speech & Dance website at www.ballymenafestival.org where you can download a syllabus and enter online.