Chairman and vice chairman of the Swindon Music Festival Geoff Walters and Sheila Marcer

THE 99th Swindon Music Festival kicks off today with about 1,000 musicians hoping to strike the right note with audiences and adjudicators alike.

Famous names such as jazz pianist Jamie Cullum, and film star Diana Dors graced the Swindon festival in their early years.

Dors entered the competition under her maiden name of Diana Fluck in the recital class in 1938 and Jamie in 1988 and 1989.

The festival is open to choirs, singers, either solo or in groups, piano, woodwind, guitar, ensembles, composition, brass, keyboards and church organ and runs from today until Saturday, March 15.

This year there are 760 entries, which, with choirs and groups, adds up to nearly 1,000 individuals competing, from youngsters under eight up to adults.

Vice chairman of the festival Sheila Marcer said: "Our website has spread the net wider and we have entries from Stroud and Cirencester this year."

The festival is a platform for local artists to showcase their work and get informed feedback from four professional adjudicators.

Sheila said: "The festival is a great experience for youngsters to get up on stage and perform in front of an audience and adjudicators."

The festival committee is always keen to keep abreast of new music trends and in the last few years have introduced some exciting classes to the festival to entice the younger element , including electric keyboard and this year, with the WOMAD festival moving into the area, a new ethnic class called The World Music Ensemble.

Sheila said: "I love to see the young people entering and see how they advance year after year. They enjoy it so much and are so enthusiastic."

All genres of music are covered in the 10 days of music from classical to jazz, from pop to folk, from rock to songs from the shows, from church music to opera.

Sheila said that the most popular class is the songs from the shows.

"I also like the nostalgia class which has popular songs from 1914 to 1940 and Victorian parlour songs from 1840 to 1910," she said.

But for chairman Geoff Waters it is absolutely all the classes that are delight, as he has an eclectic taste in music.

"I am passionate about all types of music. The festival is 10 days of lovely music and it is such a pleasure to be involved with a happy festival that runs so smoothly," he said.

This year the festival welcomes a new president, the former Swindon mayor Ray Fisher.

The accompanists are again Swindon's own concert pianist Paul Turner and music teacher Rosemary Lang.

The festival starts in Christ Church, Old Town, with choirs and organ recitals and then tomorrow, and for the rest of the fortnight, classes are held atthe Arts Centre, Devizes Road, in Old Town.

The Swindon Advertiser will be publishing the daily festival results.

2:17pm Wednesday 5th March 2008

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