A quick note for entrants, parents, and teachers alike:
ENTERING THE FESTIVAL: Online Entries will be open from 1st September, closing 30th September. (No exact time yet given. We kindly ask that you do NOT try to use the online system prior to 1st September.)
RETURNING TROPHIES: We will be re-calling all trophies in September. (A letter is sent out to each candidate who won a trophy last year with full details on where to return them.)
Many thanks,
The RWB Arts Festival Committee
All entry and timetable information has been completed for the 2024 RWB Arts Festival.
You will have received an email if you have entered. If you cannot find it, please check your junk email folders.
Look forward to seeing you next month! Happy rehearsing!
This weekend we are wrapping up the Royal Wootton Bassett Arts Festival for 2023 with our final weekend, Music. We have Piano, Singing and all kinds of Instrumental Classes running all weekend. We look forward to welcoming you!
Please do enjoy our on-site cafe during your visit, with hot dogs, savouries, sandwiches, lots of cake and many more treats to choose from.
Don’t forget that all entrants need to bring a copy of the piece they are performing for the adjudicator, please.
And finally, we would like to wish everyone a wonderful weekend, and lots of success!
Introducing our new Instrumental adjudicator, Nicola-Jane Kemp, for the Music Festival this year….
We are delighted to announce that Nicola-Jane will be joining us this year in November to adjudicate our Instrumental classes, and some of our Piano classes too. Nicola-Jane is taking the place of Elizabeth Hayley, who unfortunately is no longer able to be with us this year. Do take a look at Nicola-Jane’s biography in the syllabus. We look forward to welcoming her to Royal Wootton Bassett in the Autumn!
Dance:
Jill Redford ARAD., FISTD., CertEd.,CDE.,PGCA.
Jill was an Arts Award Ballet Champion at the age of twelve and trained at Bird College of Performing Arts. gaining teaching qualifications including Advanced R.A.D. She has worked in the UK and abroad in the theatre with stars such as Peter Butterworth, Bernie Clifton and Lenny Henry – later running her own school in Sussex. She is now a freelance teacher / choreographer / adjudicator / performer.
Speech & Drama and Musical Theatre:
Ann Bauer EdD.,MEd.,BA(Hons).,LRAM., LGSM.,PGCE., DipDpLd.
Ann has taught in Primary and Secondary Schools, Theatres, Universities, and in therapy teams as well as examining drama and theatre studies. She loves the spoken word. Her first degree was English. Ann combines her drama work with specialist teaching, consultancy, advocacy and writing in Special Educational Needs.
Cally Foster LLAM., FSTSD.
Cally was Principal of her Buckinghamshire based Speech & Drama Studio for over 20 years. As a LAMDA Examiner she has travelled Internationally, around the UK and in Europe. In addition, she delivers workshops on all aspects of drama. She believes that performing in festivals encourages an appreciation of the Arts and also develops such skills, so important in today’s world.
Rebecca Vines MA., FVCM.,LALAM.,GSMD.,ATCL.,ANEA.
Rebecca read Journalism at Cardiff University where she wrote a weekly column for The Guardian. She trained as a specialist drama teacher, is also a professional actress and in 2014 she was awarded the Fellowship of the Royal Society of Arts in recognition of her work in the youth theatre sector. She is a LAMDA., GCSE and A level Examiner.
Music:
Nicola-Jane Kemp MA (Cantab)., MMus (Opera)., RSAMD. MUSIC – Instrumental
Nicola-Jane has been a professional soprano soloist and currently teaches choral scholars at Clare College, Cambridge University. In 2015 she was made Head of Singing at Eton College. As an opera soloist, she has worked for companies as diverse as Music Theatre Wales, the Festival d’Aix-en-Provence in France and BBC Radio 2. As well as being an adjudicator, she is a Grade and Diploma examiner, lectures at RNCM and teaches for the National Youth Choirs of Great Britain and Rodolfus Choral Courses. She also sits on the council of the Association of Teachers of Singing.
Gail Mortley LRAM., ARCM., DipRAM., – Voice.
Gail is a professional singer, actress and teacher. She studied at The Royal Academy of Music where she was awarded numerous prizes and scholarships, one of which took her to Salzburg to study with the international singing coach, Rita Streich. She has also performed Opera. She has combined classical and commercial theatre with various roles including playing Cosetta in Les Miserables in London’s West End.
Anthony Williams MMus.,GRSM(Hons).,LRAM.,ARAM., – Piano.
Concert Pianist, writer, lecturer, examiner and adjudicator, Williams studied at The Royal Academy of Music. Following international competition success, he embarked on a career as a concert pianist. He is a passionate educator of pianistic musicianship. He teaches and gives masterclasses, public lecture recitals and seminars on performance and the art of teaching. He has also given talks on piano performance for Radio 3 and is author of many publications. He combines this freelance career with a position at Radley College, Oxfordshire as Head of Keyboard and Instrumental Music.
The Royal Wootton Bassett Arts Festival POETRY COMPETITION to be judged by celebrated Poet CERI GASCOYNE.
Ceri is a celebrated local artist who not only writes beautiful poetry, but also specialises in bespoke crafted poetry for all occasions, celebrating birthdays, anniversaries, life and many other notable events. She has a unique way with words, finding the passion and emotion to paint a picture in verse. She can make people laugh and cry, and we are honoured to have her with us this year to judge our Poetry Competition for our young and talented writers. See more on Ceri’s website: http://www.autumnandbloom.com
Open to: Festival Entrants and their siblings only
Date: Sunday 20th November 2022 Venue: Royal Wootton Bassett Academy Lime Kiln, SN4 7HG
Closing Date: 4th November 2022
Age: See Year
Group Rules: Please see the instructions below
Entry Fees: £3.00 per entry – see below for payment details
Please submit your entries with your NAME, ADDRESS, SCHOOL YEAR, DATE OF BIRTH, E-MAIL and TELEPHONE NUMBER to: Mrs. Lara Farahar at: lf.rwbartsfestival@gmail.com or by post to Mrs. Sandra McDowell, The Chestnuts, Cleverton, Chippenham, Wiltshire SN15 5BT.
You may submit more than one entry in your category if you wish. Payment: Cheques to be made payable to Royal Wootton Bassett Arts Festival, or you may pay by BACS: HSBC Sort Code: 40-47-16 Account No: 11400479.
Reference PY1 / PY2 / PY3 or PY4 with name please. All poems will be displayed at the festival in November. There will be a WINNER in each group with 2nd & 3rd Placings. Gold, Silver and Bronze Medals will be awarded together with a prize. Winners will also have their work printed on the web and may be invited to read their work on the day of presentation if they wish.
Dear All,
The Royal Wootton Bassett Arts Festival Committee regrets to announce that it will not be possible to go ahead this year due to concerns presented by Covid19. We are proud that over the years the Festival has grown to become a fun and thriving event with an estimated 1,400 people attending over the two weekends. But we are very aware that we owe a duty of care to everyone involved in the making and running of the event including: the performers and their families, the professional adjudicators, local businesses and other organisations that support us too, and of course, our committee and other volunteers. With the safety of all of these people in mind, and having paid close attention to government guidelines, we have decided that the 2020 Festival will be cancelled.
This is a great disappointment to us and undoubtedly will be to the many people who were planning to join us in November to share their performances within our friendly atmosphere. It was going to be an exciting year for RWB Arts Festival, too. It would have been just the second year that Musical Theatre would have featured and this year we planned to launch a brand NEW DANCE Section. Undeterred we will back in 2021 and the DANCE Section will be unveiled then!
The dates for the Festival in 2021 are 20th & 21st November for Musical Theatre and Speech and Drama, and 27th & 28th November for Music and Dance. We are looking forward to welcoming everyone back to the RWBAF in 2021.
Wishing you all well,
The RWB Arts Festival Team.
RWB Arts Festival 