News

2010 Festival begins
6^th March 2010

Once again Eden Court will host the annual Inverness Music Festival – ten days of competition involving over 4000 performers.

Come along and hear primary and secondary pupils (and adults) competing in a wide variety of classes that includes speech, drama, singing and instrumental music.

Piping, Fiddle and Accordion categories are well represented as are the Gaelic competitions in speech and song. Another popular event is the Scottish Country Dancing, which this year will take place in Millburn Academy on Saturday 13th March.

The reintroduction of Drama to the festival also gives the public a great opportunity to watch talented young actors performing in an environment that could see them on the first steps towards a professional career. The same can be said of the Songs from the Shows competition that always produces some great performances and attracts an enthusiastic audience.

The healthy state of instrumental instruction in the Highlands means that the festival attracts large numbers of performers in the various instrumental categories, culminating this year with the ensemble competitions in the Empire Theatre on 15th and 16th March.

As usual the festival will close with the Curtis Craig Competition in which the winners of selected open classes compete for the coveted trophy. This will be held in the OneTouch Theatre on Wednesday 17th March at 7.00 pm.

All set to go
12^th February 2009

The 2009 Festival has attracted over 1222 entries involving more than 4000 participants. This year we have been able to accommodate all the competitions, except for Organ, within the Eden Court complex, thereby adding considerably to the comfort and enjoyment of both performers and audience.

The fact that we are able to hold the Festival once again in the Highland Region's major centre for the arts is due in part to the generosity and helpfulness of the Eden Court management team. However the Highland Council has considerably strengthened the ongoing financial viability of the Festival by giving us an additional grant. Inverness Festival Association would like to express their appreciation for the faith the council has shown in this important local event and publicly acknowledge their demonstration of uncommon goodwill!

This year will see the reintroduction of Drama competitions to the Festival and, given the interest in this genre both in schools and in the wider community, I think it will prove to be a very worthwhile and entertaining addition to our programme.

The Curtis Craig Competition will once again be the culmination of the Festival, taking place in the OneTouch Theatre on the evening of 18^th March. A Festival Highlights Concert will later be held in the OneTouch Theatre - on Friday 15^th May - and invitations to perform at this event will be made during the course of the Festival itself.

2008 Festival Now Over, 2009 on its Way!
13^st June 2008

The 2008 Festival was an exciting experience for all involved as most of the classical competitions were held in Eden Court. This was such a success that the plan is now to hold the whole of the 2009 Festival in various venues in the complex. The Festival will run over 10 days so again this will be a challenge to manage.

We desperately need more stewards so I once more make a plea for as many of you as possible to help. Please look at the steward's duties page to see how you, or someone you know, might help.

Nevertheless, we are delighted now to offer all of our entrants the chance to perform in the magnificent setting of Eden Court and offer our audience a more comfortable experience. We also expect that our volunteers will appreciate the greater comfort provided backstage in the theatre, let alone front of house!

There have been a few more changes to the syllabus. The Speech and Guitar sections have been redefined. Drama classes and primary school Public Speaking have been added to the speech section. Some of the rules regarding ensembles and performance timings have been altered. The Jazz and Chamber Music sections have been removed and a new Orchestral section added. The Vocal Scots classes have also been redefined.

Preparations for the 2008 Festival
updated 31^st December 2007

With the completion of the new Eden Court Theatre we have been invited to use as much of the new space as possible and we look forward to this exciting new venture. Arrangements have been made for most of the festival to take place in various locations within the new complex. There are only a few currently known exceptions, these being the Clarsach, Piping, Scottish Idiom and Scottish Country Dancing classes - which have to be at the weekend and can't be fitted in.

With so much changing this year, the festival will be a challenge to manage and unforeseen problems are bound to occur. We ask that the performers and audience bear with us!

Nevertheless, we are delighted to offer most of our entrants the chance to perform in the magnificent setting of Eden Court and offer our audience a more comfortable experience. We also expect that our volunteers will appreciate the greater comfort provided backstage in the theatre, let alone front of house!

The syllabus has been completely overhauled in preparation for a "leaner", more competitive festival. Some sections have new definitions and the regulations regarding individual classes have been modified. It is important to read the regulations for your class(es) (in the appropriate section of the syllabus) as otherwise you risk your entry being rejected or your performance not being marked! These new regulations apply mainly to the choirs and speech sections.

On a final note: A new trophy has been donated by the Friends of Highland Music. This is for class SC12 - Scottish Idiom - Ensembles and is to be called the Sheila & Roddie Urquhart Quaich. We are most grateful to them for this generous offer.