Entries open for Chichester Festival for Music, Dance & Speech

CFMDS chairman Alan Rodger is delighted to be able to confirm the 69th Chichester Festival for Music, Dance & Speech will run once again with live performances at venues throughout Chichester and Bognor Regis.

The Chichester Festival for Music, Dance & Speech was founded in 1954 by the Davies Oratorio Choir to encourage and promote the performing arts for all ages and especially for the young. The festival is affiliated to the British and International Federation of Festivals for Music, Dance and Speech.

“The full CFMDS 2024 syllabus and online entry is now available at our new website https://www.cfmds.org.uk.”

Alan said: “It was terrific to see so many performers taking part in our 2023 festival. We were thrilled to welcome back our choir section after a three-year hiatus while youth orchestras, jazz, brass and concert bands also made a welcome return.

“The 69th annual festival will be the second time our dance section has been nominated as an All England Dance Festival where candidates may qualify for the AED area finals through our classes. I'm also delighted to announce that the West Sussex Organists Association will be partnering with the festival to run an organ section, which will take place at St George’s Church in Chichester.

“We are offering over 460 different performing arts classes for speech, drama, classical guitars, adult & junior singing, dance, strings, woodwind, recorders, brass, pianoforte, organ, choirs, orchestras, bands and percussion, at venues throughout Chichester and Bognor Regis from January through to March 2024.

“We have, as always, exceptional and professional adjudicators lined up to enthuse and inspire candidates in all of our sections. We hope to encourage as many friends, family, schools, clubs and organisations who are involved in the performing arts to enter one or more of the classes on offer and we hope to see as many of you as possible at our Festival.

“All entries can be made on our website and must be submitted no later than midnight on November 30 2023.”

Also coming up in Chichester, Simon Callaghan returns to Chichester Music Society with virtuoso Serbian accordionist Milos Milivojevic on November 14.

Chairman Chris Hough said: “During lockdown the duo explored the repertoire for accordion and piano which, to quote Simon ‘works wonderfully, with so many colour possibilities, and capable of conjuring the epic sound world of an orchestra at times!’ The duo have recorded a French disc for Nimbus and will be featuring some really beautiful, exciting duos and solos. The programme, including music by Saint-Saëns, Guilmant and César Franck, will be interspersed with Milos talking about the accordion and Simon introducing the pieces and talking a little about works for piano and accordion.”

The programme starts at 7.30pm and is being held in The Chapel of the Ascension on the Bishop Otter campus of the University of Chichester.

Tickets £15 from www.ticketsource.co.uk/chichester-music-society.