Strings
The next festival will be held on Saturday 10 and Sunday 11 May 2025
Entries will be accepted online via this website from
Saturday 1 February 2025
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The venue is Eltham College, Grove Park Rd, Mottingham, London SE9 4QF
Performers and listeners are all invited to Blackheath Music Festival. There is a modest entry fee on the day to cover essential expenses
Adults £3.00
Non-performing children £1.00
Performers & Patrons FREE
Programmes £2.50
Performers gaining one of the four highest levels of achievement will be awarded a Platinum, Gold, Silver or Bronze Award. In total there will be seven categories of achievement, and all categories will be awarded certificates.
Platinum and Gold Award performers will be announced but not ranked. No 1st, 2nd or 3rd placings are awarded at Blackheath Music Festival. This is to encourage performers to continue to aspire to even higher achievements as they continue to learn.
Dates: |
To be held on Saturday 10 and Sunday 11 May 2025 |
Closing date for entry: |
Sunday 23 March 2025 (or earlier if class lists become full) |
Age qualification: |
Age as at Wednesday 1 May 2025 |
Venue: |
Eltham College Junior and Senior Schools, Grove Park Rd, Mottingham, London SE9 4QF |
Adjudicators: |
TBA |
The String Secretary is: Jessica O'Leary: |
Email: [email protected] |
Official Accompanist: |
Karen Newby If you wish to use the services of Karen Newby, please contact her on 07808 071206 or by email at [email protected] Her services are available on the day (without rehearsal) at a cost of £5.00 per performance. Alternatively, private rehearsals can be arranged with Karen Newby during the days before the festival by contacting her via the above contact details. The music must be sent (email or post) to the official accompanist at least two weeks before the festival. |
Classes 300 - 319 are open to violin, viola, 'cello, double bass, harp and guitar only.
SOLO STRING CLASSES
Class 300: Preliminary – any age.
Tuition not to have commenced before May 2022. Performers must not have taken Grade 1 exam or above. Graded examination music cannot be played in this class. Own choice of one or two pieces. The title(s) of the piece(s) need not be given on the entry form. The instrument to be played must be shown on the entry form at the time of entry.
Entry £11.00. Official accompanist (optional) £5.00. Time limit 3 mins.
Class 301: Grade 1.
Own choice of one or two Grade 1 level pieces; these pieces can be either free repertoire or current examination music. No exam higher than Grade 1 should have been passed. Title(s) of the piece(s) to be performed must be shown on the entry form at the time of entry.
Entry £11.00 Official accompanist (optional) £5.00. Time limit 3 mins.
Class 302: Grades 2 & 3.
Own choice of one or two Grade 2 or 3 level pieces; these pieces can be either free repertoire or current examination music. No exam higher than Grade 3 should have been passed. The title(s) of the piece(s) to be performed must be shown on the entry form at the time of entry.
Entry £11.00 Official accompanist (optional) £5.00. Time limit 3 mins.
Class 303: Grades 4 & 5.
Own choice of one or two Grade 4 or 5 level pieces; these pieces can be either free repertoire or current examination music. No exam higher than Grade 5 should have been passed. The title(s) of the piece(s) to be performed must be shown on the entry form at the time of entry.
Entry £11.00 Official accompanist (optional) £5.00. Time limit 5 mins.
Class 304: Grades 6 & 7.
Own choice of one Grade 6 or 7 level pieces; these pieces can be either free repertoire or current examination music. No exam higher than Grade 7 should have been passed. The title(s) of the piece(s) to be performed must be shown on the entry form at the time of entry.
Entry £12.00 Official accompanist (optional) £5.00. Time limit 5 mins.
Class 305: Grade 8.
Own choice of one Grade 8 level pieces; this piece can be either free repertoire or current examination music. No exam higher than Grade 8 should have been passed. The title of the piece to be performed must be shown on the entry form at the time of entry.
Entry £12.00 Official accompanist (optional) £5.00. Time limit 6 mins.
RECITAL CLASSES
Class 306: Recital – 12 years & under.
Own choice of two contrasting pieces. Concerto movements must be entered in either class 309 or 310. The title(s) of the piece(s) to be performed must be shown on the entry form at the time of entry.
Entry £13.00. Official accompanist (optional) £5.00. Time limit 10 mins
Class 307: Recital – 16 years & under.
Own choice of two contrasting pieces. Concerto movements must be entered in either class 309 or 310. The title(s) of the piece(s) to be performed must be shown on the entry form at the time of entry.
Entry £13.00. Official accompanist (optional) £5.00. Time limit 12 mins
Class 308: Recital – Open.
Own choice of two contrasting pieces. Concerto movements must be entered in either class 309 or 310. The title(s) of the piece(s) to be performed must be shown on the entry form at the time of entry.
Entry £14.00. Official accompanist (optional) £5.00. Time limit 15 mins
CONCERTO CLASSES
Class 309: Junior Concerto - any age. This class is open to performers of concertos commonly regarded as student concertos eg. Rieding, Kuchler, Seitz. These can include concerto movements included in examination syllabuses as well as 'free choice' concerto movements. If in doubt please contact the String Secretary.
Own choice of one movement. The title of the piece to be performed must be shown on the entry form at the time of entry.
Entry £12.00. Official accompanist (optional) £5.00
Class 310: Senior Concerto - any age. This class is open to performers of concertos by the established major composers eg. Bach, Mozart, Mendelssohn etc. These can include concerto movements included in examination syllabuses as well as 'free choice' concerto movements. If in doubt please contact the String Secretary.
Own choice of one movement. The title of the piece to be performed must be shown on the entry form at the time of entry.
Entry £13.00. Official accompanist (optional) £5.00
OWN COMPOSITION CLASSES
Class 130: 11 years & under - Own composition.
Entry £12.00. Time limit 3 mins
Class 131: 12 years & over - Own composition.
Entry £12.00. Time limit 3 mins
GROUP CLASSES
Class 311: String Duet – 12 years & under.
Own choice of one piece for any two stringed instruments. Can be accompanied or unaccompanied. The title of the piece to be performed must be shown on the entry form at the time of entry.
Entry £11.00. Official accompanist (optional) £5.00. Time limit 5 mins
Class 312: String Duet – Any age.
Own choice of one piece for any two stringed instruments. Can be accompanied or unaccompanied. The title of the piece to be performed must be shown on the entry form at the time of entry.
Entry £11.00. Official accompanist (optional) £5.00. Time limit 7 mins
Class 313: Chamber music – 12 years & under.
Own choice of music using three or more players, one player per part. Any combination of instruments; strings, piano, wind or brass. The title of the piece to be performed must be shown on the entry form at the time of entry.
Entry £12.00. Time limit 10 mins
Class 314: Chamber music – open.
Own choice of music using three or more players, one player per part. Any combination of instruments; strings, piano, wind or brass. The title of the piece to be performed must be shown on the entry form at the time of entry.
Entry £13.00. Time limit 12 mins
Class 315: Unison string class – 10 years & under.
Own choice of music using three or more players. Any combination of instruments.
The title(s) of the piece(s) to be performed must be shown on the entry form at the time of entry.
Entry £13.00. Time limit 8 mins
Class 316: Unison string class – 12 years & under.
Own choice of music using three or more players. Any combination of instruments. Title(s) of the piece(s) to be performed must be shown on the entry form at the time of entry.
Entry £13.00. Time limit 8 mins
Class 317: String ensemble, any number of players per part – 10 years & under (ALL players are to be 10 years or under on 1 May 2024).
Any combination of string instruments which may include piano accompaniment. Title(s) of the piece(s) to be performed must be shown on the entry form at the time of entry.
Entry £13.00. Time limit 10 mins
Class 318: String ensemble, any number of players per part – 11 years & over (ALL players are to be 11 years or over on 1 May 2024).
Any combination of string instruments which may include piano accompaniment. Title(s) of the piece(s) to be performed must be shown on the entry form at the time of entry.
Entry £13.00. Time limit 10 mins
Class 319: String ensemble, any number of players per part – Open (players can be any age)
Any combination of string instruments which may include piano accompaniment. Title(s) of the piece(s) to be performed must be shown on the entry form at the time of entry.
Entry £13.00. Time limit 12 mins
OTHER CLASSES FOR STRING PLAYERS
Class 134: Family ensemble – any age.
Two, three or four players from the same family, including adults. Any combination of instruments or voices. Own choice of one or two pieces.
Entry £11.00. Time limit 6 mins
This class will be heard by the piano adjudicator
TWO INSTRUMENT/VOICE CLASSES
Performers should present one instrument from any two of the following categories – piano, strings (including guitar), brass, wind or singing – i.e. combinations such as singing & recorder, piano & trumpet, flute & trombone – but not two instruments within a category. Performers need to provide their own accompanist (if being used). Instruments/voices and pieces are to be declared at the time of entry. These classes will be heard by the piano adjudicator.
Class 135: 12 years & under, two instruments
Entry £12.00. Time limit 6 mins
This class will be heard by the piano adjudicator.
Class 136: 13 years & over, two instruments
Entry £12.00. Time limit 8 mins
This class will be heard by the piano adjudicator.
Class 300: Preliminary – any age.
Tuition not to have commenced before May 2022. Performers must not have taken Grade 1 exam or above. Graded examination music cannot be played in this class. Own choice of one or two pieces. The title(s) of the piece(s) need not be given on the entry form. The instrument to be played must be shown on the entry form at the time of entry.
Entry £11.00. Official accompanist (optional) £5.00. Time limit 3 mins.
Class 301: Grade 1.
Own choice of one or two Grade 1 level pieces; these pieces can be either free repertoire or current examination music. No exam higher than Grade 1 should have been passed. Title(s) of the piece(s) to be performed must be shown on the entry form at the time of entry.
Entry £11.00 Official accompanist (optional) £5.00. Time limit 3 mins.
Class 302: Grades 2 & 3.
Own choice of one or two Grade 2 or 3 level pieces; these pieces can be either free repertoire or current examination music. No exam higher than Grade 3 should have been passed. The title(s) of the piece(s) to be performed must be shown on the entry form at the time of entry.
Entry £11.00 Official accompanist (optional) £5.00. Time limit 3 mins.
Class 303: Grades 4 & 5.
Own choice of one or two Grade 4 or 5 level pieces; these pieces can be either free repertoire or current examination music. No exam higher than Grade 5 should have been passed. The title(s) of the piece(s) to be performed must be shown on the entry form at the time of entry.
Entry £11.00 Official accompanist (optional) £5.00. Time limit 5 mins.
Class 304: Grades 6 & 7.
Own choice of one Grade 6 or 7 level pieces; these pieces can be either free repertoire or current examination music. No exam higher than Grade 7 should have been passed. The title(s) of the piece(s) to be performed must be shown on the entry form at the time of entry.
Entry £12.00 Official accompanist (optional) £5.00. Time limit 5 mins.
Class 305: Grade 8.
Own choice of one Grade 8 level pieces; this piece can be either free repertoire or current examination music. No exam higher than Grade 8 should have been passed. The title of the piece to be performed must be shown on the entry form at the time of entry.
Entry £12.00 Official accompanist (optional) £5.00. Time limit 6 mins.
RECITAL CLASSES
Class 306: Recital – 12 years & under.
Own choice of two contrasting pieces. Concerto movements must be entered in either class 309 or 310. The title(s) of the piece(s) to be performed must be shown on the entry form at the time of entry.
Entry £13.00. Official accompanist (optional) £5.00. Time limit 10 mins
Class 307: Recital – 16 years & under.
Own choice of two contrasting pieces. Concerto movements must be entered in either class 309 or 310. The title(s) of the piece(s) to be performed must be shown on the entry form at the time of entry.
Entry £13.00. Official accompanist (optional) £5.00. Time limit 12 mins
Class 308: Recital – Open.
Own choice of two contrasting pieces. Concerto movements must be entered in either class 309 or 310. The title(s) of the piece(s) to be performed must be shown on the entry form at the time of entry.
Entry £14.00. Official accompanist (optional) £5.00. Time limit 15 mins
CONCERTO CLASSES
Class 309: Junior Concerto - any age. This class is open to performers of concertos commonly regarded as student concertos eg. Rieding, Kuchler, Seitz. These can include concerto movements included in examination syllabuses as well as 'free choice' concerto movements. If in doubt please contact the String Secretary.
Own choice of one movement. The title of the piece to be performed must be shown on the entry form at the time of entry.
Entry £12.00. Official accompanist (optional) £5.00
Class 310: Senior Concerto - any age. This class is open to performers of concertos by the established major composers eg. Bach, Mozart, Mendelssohn etc. These can include concerto movements included in examination syllabuses as well as 'free choice' concerto movements. If in doubt please contact the String Secretary.
Own choice of one movement. The title of the piece to be performed must be shown on the entry form at the time of entry.
Entry £13.00. Official accompanist (optional) £5.00
OWN COMPOSITION CLASSES
- Please note the following two classes will be held within the piano section and will be heard by the piano adjudicator.
- All entries for this class should be made online by going to the Piano Syllabus section of the online entry form in order to find the correct class number.
- Entries for these two classes cannot be made via the String Syllabus section of the online entry form.
Class 130: 11 years & under - Own composition.
Entry £12.00. Time limit 3 mins
- The composition can be for any group from 1 - 4 players, singers or a mixture of both, and can be a free or fixed-form composition. The composer must be one of the performers
- The composition must be written down and a copy provided for the adjudicator.
- A paper copy of the composition must be submitted to the Piano Secretary by Thursday 1 May 2025 so that it can be sent to the adjudicator for pre-festival assessment
- All performers must perform ‘live’ on the day - no pre-recorded parts
- Only the composition (not the performance) will be adjudicated
Class 131: 12 years & over - Own composition.
Entry £12.00. Time limit 3 mins
- The composition can be for any group from 1 - 4 players, singers or a mixture of both, and can be a free or fixed-form composition. The composer must be one of the performers
- The composition must be written down and a copy provided for the adjudicator.
- A paper copy of the composition must be submitted to the Piano Secretary by Thursday 1 May 2025 so that it can be sent to the adjudicator for pre-festival assessment
- All performers must perform ‘live’ on the day - no pre-recorded parts
- Only the composition (not the performance) will be adjudicated
GROUP CLASSES
Class 311: String Duet – 12 years & under.
Own choice of one piece for any two stringed instruments. Can be accompanied or unaccompanied. The title of the piece to be performed must be shown on the entry form at the time of entry.
Entry £11.00. Official accompanist (optional) £5.00. Time limit 5 mins
Class 312: String Duet – Any age.
Own choice of one piece for any two stringed instruments. Can be accompanied or unaccompanied. The title of the piece to be performed must be shown on the entry form at the time of entry.
Entry £11.00. Official accompanist (optional) £5.00. Time limit 7 mins
Class 313: Chamber music – 12 years & under.
Own choice of music using three or more players, one player per part. Any combination of instruments; strings, piano, wind or brass. The title of the piece to be performed must be shown on the entry form at the time of entry.
Entry £12.00. Time limit 10 mins
Class 314: Chamber music – open.
Own choice of music using three or more players, one player per part. Any combination of instruments; strings, piano, wind or brass. The title of the piece to be performed must be shown on the entry form at the time of entry.
Entry £13.00. Time limit 12 mins
Class 315: Unison string class – 10 years & under.
Own choice of music using three or more players. Any combination of instruments.
The title(s) of the piece(s) to be performed must be shown on the entry form at the time of entry.
Entry £13.00. Time limit 8 mins
Class 316: Unison string class – 12 years & under.
Own choice of music using three or more players. Any combination of instruments. Title(s) of the piece(s) to be performed must be shown on the entry form at the time of entry.
Entry £13.00. Time limit 8 mins
Class 317: String ensemble, any number of players per part – 10 years & under (ALL players are to be 10 years or under on 1 May 2024).
Any combination of string instruments which may include piano accompaniment. Title(s) of the piece(s) to be performed must be shown on the entry form at the time of entry.
Entry £13.00. Time limit 10 mins
Class 318: String ensemble, any number of players per part – 11 years & over (ALL players are to be 11 years or over on 1 May 2024).
Any combination of string instruments which may include piano accompaniment. Title(s) of the piece(s) to be performed must be shown on the entry form at the time of entry.
Entry £13.00. Time limit 10 mins
Class 319: String ensemble, any number of players per part – Open (players can be any age)
Any combination of string instruments which may include piano accompaniment. Title(s) of the piece(s) to be performed must be shown on the entry form at the time of entry.
Entry £13.00. Time limit 12 mins
OTHER CLASSES FOR STRING PLAYERS
- Please note the following class will be held within the piano section and will be heard by the piano adjudicator.
- All entries for this class should be made online by going to the Piano Syllabus section of the online entry form in order to find the correct class number. The following is for information only.
- Entries for this class cannot be made via the String Syllabus section of the online entry form.
Class 134: Family ensemble – any age.
Two, three or four players from the same family, including adults. Any combination of instruments or voices. Own choice of one or two pieces.
Entry £11.00. Time limit 6 mins
This class will be heard by the piano adjudicator
TWO INSTRUMENT/VOICE CLASSES
- Please note the following two classes will be held within the piano section and will be heard by the piano adjudicator.
- All entries for this class should be made online by going to the Piano Syllabus section of the online entry form in order to find the correct class number.
- Entries for these two classes cannot be made via the String Syllabus section of the online entry form.
Performers should present one instrument from any two of the following categories – piano, strings (including guitar), brass, wind or singing – i.e. combinations such as singing & recorder, piano & trumpet, flute & trombone – but not two instruments within a category. Performers need to provide their own accompanist (if being used). Instruments/voices and pieces are to be declared at the time of entry. These classes will be heard by the piano adjudicator.
Class 135: 12 years & under, two instruments
Entry £12.00. Time limit 6 mins
This class will be heard by the piano adjudicator.
Class 136: 13 years & over, two instruments
Entry £12.00. Time limit 8 mins
This class will be heard by the piano adjudicator.
Entries will be accepted online from Saturday 1 February 2025. Please enter using the green 'Click here' button (below) on or after that date.
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