Plans are being finalised for the
2011 Farnham Festival - New Music for Youth, to be held between 20 and
26 March. Apart from the opening Concert, all performances will be held
in the Maltings Great Hall. It is fifty years since Alan Fluck, the
then Music Master at Farnham Grammar School, organised the first
Festival in 1961. Sir Arthur Bliss wrote in his message to that year’s
Festival "The Organisers have shown great imagination, providing a
splendid opportunity for many hundreds of children to enjoy music in the
only really satisfying way- by taking part themselves!"
The next Farnham Festival will be no exception, with ten concerts
planned involving no less than 1200 school children and college students
from the Farnham Area. Again in 1967, Sir Arthur Bliss wrote "In
performing for the first time, so many new works specially written for
them by fine British Composers, ….these young artists will be
contributing to the history of music in this way."
Since Alan’s inspiration in 1961, when just two new compositions were
performed, in excess of 130 New Works have received their first
performance in Farnham Festival. 2011 will see six new works receive
their World Premier. There will also be performances of several works
written for earlier Festivals, including the second ever performance of
a work previously thought to have been lost, but found after some
detective work by the Festival’s current President, Julia Wilson.
Roxanna Panufnik has re-worked two of her father, Andrzejs’, Lyric
Pieces for Orchestra, written for the 1963 Festival, and to be performed
in 2011 by the Surrey County Wind Orchestra, who will also play
Roxanna’s composition ‘Suite Memories’ written for the special Festival
Millennium Concerts in 2000.
The early Festivals, held biennually, were staged in the Farnham
Parish Church of St Andrew, groups of musicians gave lunch time recitals
around the town, and the Festival Finale was held on the playing fields
of the boys’ Grammar School, with Handel’s Fireworks Music, and a
firework display. The BBC recorded most concerts for later broadcast,
and some of the National papers gave coverage, such was the interest in
the unique combination of live composers writing for school age
musicians. ‘It seemed quite a quixotic idea, doomed with failure: even
in a sophisticated London it could spell empty halls and lack of
patronage’ wrote Sir Robert Mayer in his Festival message in 1969, ‘they
can now point with justified pride to their invaluable achievements
gained through trial and error.’
The Festival continues.
In 2011 it will commence with a Thanksgiving Concert on Sunday 20
March, in St Andrew’s Parish Church, thus maintaining the links with the
earlier Festivals’ venue. The Rector, Reverend Andrew Tuck took part in
the early Festivals as a young trombonist. To celebrate the first 50
years of Farnham Festival, past Festival performers are invited to join
in a performance of Zadok the Priest, as part of the Thanksgiving
Concert. Interested participants are asked to register their interest
with Bob West -
west@longhope.eclipse.co.uk, indicating contact information and
telephone number, choral status, and whether they have a four part
copy. There will be an afternoon rehearsal.
New Works commissioned by the Festival Management Committee, include
a new choral work for the Combined Infants School Choir, written by Pam
Wedgwood, a Jazz Work for Alton College Jazz Band, a choral work by
Graham Ross for the Combined Junior Schools, and a work for The Farnham
Youth Choir. A new setting of Psalm 150 by Diana Owen ( nee Beeken ) is
to be performed by Farnborough Sixth Form College Chamber Choir.
Detailed brochures will be available from the Box Office at the
Maltings in January, and the box office opens Monday 7 February 2011.
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