THIS year will see the 100th Skipton Music Festival - and those wanting to be part of the special centenary event have just just until Monday, January 24, to get their entries in.

Enjoyed by hundreds of schoolchildren and adults, the festival was last held two years ago, just before the country went into lockdown because of coronavirus. Last year’s event however was sadly cancelled because of the pandemic.

The week long, 100th anniversary event will start on Monday, March 7 and will take place at Christ Church, in Cross Street, with the grand centenary concert on Sunday, March 13 in the beautifully refurbished Skipton Town Hall.

Thanks to support from the Arts Council, the centenary concert will include the internationally acclaimed saxophonist and presenter, Jess Gillam, who will both perform and talk to the festival's own young and rising stars.

The 23 year old, who was born in Cumbria, performed at the Last Night of the Proms in 2018 and was a special guest at the Royal Albert Hall’s VE Day 75 Commemoration in May, 2020. She became the youngest ever presenter for BBC Radio 3 and hosts her own award-winning weekly show and podcast called ‘This Classical Life’.

Festival organiser, Jill Wright, said: “This is our centenary festival and the centenary concert will be held in the beautifully refurbished Skipton Town Hall. We’re delighted that Jess Gillam, internationally renowned saxophonist, is making a guest appearance alongside the young musicians who will have delighted us during the week.

"Jess has been involved with the festival movement and is keen that festivals such as ours will survive and thrive."

This year's syllabus includes special 'birthday' classes and also sessions for the youngest performers in early years and reception classes.

Mrs Wright said: " There are all the usual classes for instruments and voice, together with our popular choir classes. We’ve added some sessions for whole school class performance too, in line with the new curriculum requirements.

"We’ve included our increasingly popular adult woodwind classes and of course, the non-competitive classes are there, as well."

Adjudicator will be Steven Roberts, on a return visit to Skipton, and a new official accompanist, Nicole Johnson, who played at the festival as a child and is now an established freelance pianist, vocal coach and musical director.

Mrs Wright said she hoped this year's event would be one to remember - and urged people to take part or to attend the centenary concert.

"If performing’s not your thing, come and steward for us or become a friend. Let’s make this a festival to remember," she said.

To find out more and to enter visit: www.skiptonmusicfestival.co.uk