The Torbay Music Festival
Instrumental and Vocal Classes
Torquay Girls Grammar School
Saturday 27th and Sunday 28th February 2027
Choirs Evening
Venue TBC
Friday 26th February 2027
Music Festival Committee
Music Chair:
Christopher Blurton
Catherine Serjeant
T. 07875297321
Trophy Secretary:
Torquay TQ2 8PH
Committee:
Christopher Blurton, Carolyne Clark, Polly Ferguson, Margaret Fieldhouse, Corinne Guntrip, Kate Linden, Dianne Martin, Catherine Serjeant, Ekaterina Shetliffe, Susan Norcott, Pat Serjeant, Rosie Davies and Joanna Walling
Entries can only be made through our online entries system
ENTRY FEES
| Solos | 10 years & under | £7.00 |
| 11 years & over | £7.50 | |
| Duets | £12.00 | |
| Trios/quartets | £16.00 | |
| Groups | £20.00 |
VENUE ADMISSION TICKETS AND PROGRAMMES 2026
The Committee reserve the right to refuse entry.
| Session Ticket | £6.50 | Concessions (Seniors) | £5.50 |
| Daily Ticket | £13.00 | Concessions (Seniors) | £11.00 |
This Festival does not charge children for entry to the venue. Children must be accompanied at all times and parents/guardians/carers are reminded of their responsibility under our Safeguarding Policy in this respect.
SUPPLEMENTARY RULES FOR MUSIC
Supplementary rules for Music November 2025
M1 Entries in own choice classes will not be accepted without a photocopy of the music for the adjudicator to be given at the time of performing. When an own choice work is selected from a publication containing several different works and which is not published separately, one copy may be made for the use of the adjudicator provided that the competitor has already purchased his/her own copy. The copy thus made will be retained by the Festival and destroyed immediately after the event to comply with copyright laws. Single items may not be photocopied without the prior permission of the copyright holder. Please name any single copies given to the adjudicator so that they can be returned. If accompanist is required, one copy needs to be sent directly to the accompanist, and another one brought on the day for the adjudicator.
M2 No competitor may enter more than once in a solo class or enter the same piece in another class. In duet and trio classes, competitors may enter more than once provided they partner a different person with a different piece.
M3 Performers may enter any classes for a higher age group in solo classes provided they have entered an own age group class as well. The entry fee for these classes applies, not the age of the performer. Vocal performers under 18 may not enter adult vocal classes
M4 Once entered no changes or omissions will be accepted.
M5 Pieces in all OPEN instrumental classes must be at Grade 6 ABRSM or Trinity standard or above. Open Vocal Classes are for Adults only (18 years or over) and are expected to be of a high standard.
M6 In Piano Set Piece Classes any good edition is acceptable but a copy must be provided for the adjudicator if a different edition is used than the one(s) specified.
M7 No amplification is allowed for solo instrumentalists or vocalists – EXCEPT in Rock and Pop classes specifically specified. Backing tracks are allowed in all classes requiring accompaniment.
M8 Performers, including groups, must not repeat a winning item unless three Festivals have passed since the winning performance.
M9 Items must not exceed the time limit which must include the introduction. Any items over time will be penalised by marks being deducted. Repeat marks are optional provided time limits are not exceeded but all ‘da capo’ and ‘dal segno’ signs should be observed.
M10 Trophies and medals will be presented by the Adjudicator at the end of each class/section. All winners of Special Trophies will be expected to perform in the Gala Concert when the awards will be presented. Medals will be given in every class for 1st, 2nd and 3rd places.
M11 Certificates and Adjudication sheets will be available from the certificate table shortly after the class has finished.
M12 Programmes will be for sale at the venue.
M13 Free entrance is granted to performers only during the sessions in which they are performing. Teachers, parents and other interested parties are NOT entitled to be admitted without a valid ticket. Free passes will be given for accompanists for the sessions when they are accompanying, for teachers who enter pupils for 10 classes or more and school group escorts at the ratio of 1 per 10 pupils under 16 years who must remain with the pupils in the hall.
MUSIC FESTIVAL NEWS
Jonathan Rea
Jonathan Rea enjoys being a Federation adjudicator because he loves to create a friendly, affirming and positive atmosphere in which performers can thrive and make real progress.
He studied music at Cambridge, where he sang in the University Chamber Choir. He held choral and instrumental awards and won the Rima Alamuddin prize for piano performance, thanks to transformational lessons with Peter Pettinger.
After 10 happy years as Director of Music in Bangor Grammar School, he began a broader career in conducting, producing, writing, composing, arranging and piano accompanying. He has conducted many programmes for BBC Songs of Praise and directed the Belfast choir for Children in Need. For several years he was the Principal Examiner for A-Level Music Performance in Northern Ireland. He is the choral director for the annual Sing! conference in Nashville, conducting choirs with up to 1000 participants. He also provides courses and consultancy to churches who seek help with music-related issues.
Jonathan is Creative Director and Chief Executive of New Irish Arts, whose choir, orchestra and youth choir perform at over 20 events per year. They have sold out Belfast’s Waterfront Hall on numerous occasions, and often have over 250 participants in their larger concerts. Jonathan is also active a writer and speaker, contributing to programmes like Radio 4’s Prayer for the Day and Morning Service.
In the Queen’s Birthday Honours List in 2020, Jonathan was awarded the British Empire Medal for services to Music in Northern Ireland.
Kay Tucker
Kay was born in Sheffield, Yorkshire and began studies on the cello at the age of 12, continuing studies at the Guildhall School of Music and Drama.
Her portfolio career has combined teaching and adjudicating with performing as a soloist, chamber musician and orchestral player.
Since 1998, Kay has been in popular demand as an Adjudicator throughout the UK, having worked at well over 200 festivals including the National Festival of Music for Youth. ‘Encouragement’ is a key word in all aspects of Kay’s work and she has great joy in working alongside musicians of all ages, particularly the very young.
Kay’s passion for teaching led her to develop an early years strings & general musicianship system known as ‘Stringbabies’. Since its inception in 2004, ‘Stringbabies’ has become well established and accepted as a leading approach in strings teaching (surprisingly to all ages!) and is being delivered throughout the UK and abroad in individual teaching practices, schools and music services.
In 2016, Musicbabies for Recorder was published, being the first adaptation of Stringbabies for a non-stringed instrument. Kay works in partnership with Victoria College Examinations in delivering a bespoke Stringbabies Award for beginner string players and also with Charanga, who are publishing the violin and cello Stringbabies books on their e-learning platform.
In 2013 and 2014, Stringbabies was shortlisted for the Inaugural Rhinegold Music Teachers Awards for Excellence in music education. In 2014 Kay was also a finalist in the BBC Community Heroes Awards in Education in respect of her work in developing ‘Stringbabies’. Over recent years, Kay worked as a consultant to Trinity Guildhall, selecting and co-selecting repertoire for graded exams and diplomas.
Kay was a Trustee and member of the Executive council of the European String Teacher’s Association (ESTA). In 2018 she was presented with the ESTA award for exceptional services, in recognition of her work in initiating the Post Graduate Certificate in string teaching accredited by Chichester University. In 2009, Kay co-founded Horsham Performers Platform and for 10 years served as Chair, continuing as Co-Chair from 2019.
Kay became an Adjudicator Member of the British and International Federation of Festivals in 1997 and undertook the Post-graduate Certificate in Adjudication in 1999/2000.
James Kirby
James is a popular adjudicator for the British and International Federation of Festivals. He has been delighted to work at many Festivals throughout the UK, as well as the Hong Kong Festival on several occasions. When time allows, James is always pleased to incorporate “mini-masterclasses” into his feedback.
As a solo pianist, James gives recitals throughout the UK including Wigmore Hall, Edinburgh and Aldeburgh festivals and in Europe and Asia. He studied at the Royal Academy of Music in London and the Moscow Conservatoire and was a semifinalist in the Tchaikovsky Competition in Moscow in 1990. He has given concerto performances with the English and Scottish Chamber Orchestras and Moscow and Penang Symphony Orchestra in venues including the Royal Albert Hall, Royal Opera House, Covent Garden, Symphony Hall, Birmingham and the Great Hall of the Moscow Conservatoire.
He was a member of the Barbican Piano Trio for over thirty years and performed regularly with them at Festivals and important concert series in the UK and throughout Europe and the USA. Highlights included Carnegie Recital Hall and the Complete Beethoven Piano Trios in the Wigmore Hall Master Concert Series. The Trio has a repertoire consisting of over seventy works and an impressive discography.
James is a dedicated teacher and enjoys positions at the Royal Welsh College of Music and Drama, Royal Holloway, University of London and Eton College. He is an Honorary Professor of the Rachmaninov Institute in Tambov, Russia, and serves on the juries of many International competitions, most recently in Latvia, China (including Hong Kong) and Korea. He gives many masterclasses in the UK and overseas.
He has been an ABRSM examiner since 1998 and has worked in Singapore, China, Indonesia and many European countries.