WELCOME TO THE BMF
The Birmingham Music Festival is one of Britain's leading piano competitions.
We welcome entrants of all ages and all abilities from enthusiastic beginners and gifted amateurs to veteran competitors.
We have a fantastic venue: The Ruddock Performing Arts Centre at King Edward’s Schools, the BMF offers high quality grand pianos in both of our performance theatres and adjudicators to match.
We think the Birmingham Music Festival offers the very best in amateur music making.
We look forward to seeing you at the Festival!
For information about Summer Concert 2024 click here
The 2024 Birmingham Music Festival will take place on
12 and 13 October 2024
at
The Ruddock Performing Arts Centre at King Edward’s Schools
Edgbaston Park Road
Edgbaston
Birmingham
B15 2UA
CLASSES UPDATE
We have made the following change to our syllabus this year:
-
Class 17: Romantic Connections - Open class - Any original piano composition by Brahms, Chopin, Liszt, Clara or Robert Schumann.
If you are considering entering in 2024, do not wait too much longer or you may find that you are unable to enter your preferred classes (or at all!)
The Grade classes are the most popular, followed by the Age classes - please bear this in mind.
The Open Recital class will have no more than 10 competitors so please register early.
LATEST NEWS:
MBE FOR MARGARET FINGERHUT
We are delighted to announce that our President Margaret Fingerhut has been awarded an MBE in the New Year Honours List 2024 for Services to Music and Charitable Fundraising.
Congratulations, Margaret!
MESSAGE FROM THE CHAIRMAN
The 82nd Birmingham Music Festival is now open for entries.
We have made a few detailed changes to our entry pages, so please take care to read them as a few things are different from in prior years. But overall the fundamental structure remains intact and I hope that you welcome the changes that we have made.
We welcome back two popular adjudicators: Ruth Gerald and Timothy Barratt. Both can be relied upon to give perceptive and helpful comments in their adjudications.
As ever I must advise you to enter early. Every year we close early and have to reject entries as we have become full. Indeed, some classes, especially the junior ones, may be closed before other classes as we reach our physical capacity in the music theatre.
I look forward to seeing you and hearing you play in October!
Richard
Richard Abel
Chairman
Our Aim:
"The object of the Festival is to advance, encourage and foster the art of music making by holding and promoting an annual competitive festival of public performances, recitals and concerts"
In partnership with:
Festival 2024
Quick links
If you are entering children (or a vulnerable adult) into the Festival, please click here to review our Child Protection Policy..
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SUPPORT THE BMF
The BMF is a registered charity and relies on external funding to provide our annual Festival. Please help by making a donation if you can.
This is how you can help us:
MAKE A DONATION TO THE BMF
If you would like to make a voluntary contribution to our finances please click here:
We will acknowledge your funding support to our operations in future years in our Festival programme.
HELP AT THE FESTIVAL
We are sometimes short of help on the days of the Festival.
Could you help us on one or both days by acting as a presenter or adjudicator’s clerk?
Experience of a festival environment is an advantage but not a requirement as brief training can be given. We will provide lunch and refreshments.
If so, please contact us. You will not be offered to act in any class in which you, a member of your family or one of your students is performing.