Participants of all ages and skill levels are being invited to enter the 76th edition of the St Austell Festival of Music and Speech, writes Tom Howe.
Since its founding in 1948, the festival has championed local talent and promoted a love of performance across the generations.
This year’s event, running from November 27th to December 7th, is set to feature over 100 classes and encompass a diverse range of categories across both music and speech.
That breadth and inclusivity was explored by music secretary, Rebecca Thomas, in a recent interview with CHAOS Radio, during which she discussed a variety of distinguished alumni, from local stars to national figures, including John Nettles of Midsomer Murders and the late Dennis Brain, a leading French horn player of his generation.
“The main purpose of the festival is to have fun,” said Rebecca. “Performing should be fun. It’s a life skill. You’re performing yourself at this instant on the radio so you need to understand how to speak to keep somebody interested, how to gain someone’s attention, how to have the confidence to actually come up and say what you think.
“Public speaking is so key to life. If you think about a job interview, a job interview is presenting yourself in a public way. So what the festival is about is encouraging youngsters to learn those skills, to enjoy performing and music itself. It’s another performing art which gives so much back to children in terms of learning social skills, teamwork, concentration and all those things that we need in everyday life.
“We’ve got classes for reception age pupils, we’ve got classes for choirs, for instrumental soloists and for choral speaking which is always quite fun. We’ve got classes for drums and percussion, and keyboards as well as all the traditional orchestral instruments and we’ve even got a composition class for those aged under 18.
“We believe the festival is there to promote the joy of performing, to give feedback about performing and for other people, an audience, to actually enjoy what is being offered. There are some classes where what you perform is set, so for example for primary school poetry we’ve chosen two or three books and use the poems from those. Those classes are defined by age. There are also classes in music which are defined by the level of performance that the individual may have got to, so for example they might be grade four violin. Then there’s classes for choirs of different sizes.
“We’ve got some very distinguished ex-participants including John Nettles from Midsomer Murders but the most important thing is we are now looking for entries from people and groups to take part, with over 100 classes in music and speech. Depending on the entries that we get by our closing date – which is the 18th of October – we program the days of the festival to showcase all these people who have chosen to enter.”
From young children in reception classes across Cornwall to seasoned musicians, the St Austell Festival of Music and Speech is designed to give everyone a chance to express themselves, aiming not only to entertain but to empower individuals to cultivate these abilities early in life, with participants benefitting from constructive feedback, encouraging both their personal growth and the joy of performance.
Rebecca further highlighted the work of the committee, a dedicated team that spends each year crafting the festival’s line up while retaining flexibility; should someone wish to perform in a category not listed, they encourage participants to reach out, with the possibility of creating a custom class for them.
St John’s Methodist Church in St Austell remains the festival’s traditional home, with the diverse events a big task for a committee that is small but mighty, and new volunteers are always welcomed to support the festival’s growth and reach.
“If you feel you have something to give to the committee, you’d be very welcome to join us,” she said. “If you think that’s just too much commitment, too much hassle, we have groups of volunteers who steward and man the door on the days of the festival and you’d be very, very welcome to join that group of people.”
For those interested in participating or volunteering, the syllabus is available for download on the festival’s website, staustellfestival.org, where users can also access an entry system through the Run My Festival platform or via a downloadable paper entry form, with fees kept as low as possible to ensure inclusivity.
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