Instrumental
The Instrumental Section is open to performers of all ages and abilities - from beginners to the more accomplished musicians. We have solo, duet and ensemble classes for brass, woodwind and string instruments.
News
To all the performers and their families, thank you for being part of our festival.
We hope that this experience has inspired you to continue pursuing your passion for the performing arts.
Our warmest wishes for future success and happiness in your performing endeavours.
Instrumental Timetable for 2027
Saturday 6th & Sunday 7th March
(Dates may vary according to entry levels)
Entries for 2027
Entries open October 2026
Venue
The Oakwood Centre, Headley Rd, Woodley, Berks, RG5 4JZ.
Guidance
Section Chairman
Section Chairman
Claire Barker
Tel: 07501 259346 – Please leave a message
Email: Instrumental@WoodleyFestival.org.uk
Assistant: Jackie Baines
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Instrumental Section Adjudicator for 2026 was
Andrew Hansford
BMus(Hons), BA (Hons), MA,MMus(Perf), MMus(Cantab), PGCert(OU), ARCM, ARCO, LRSM, LGSM, LTCL, FLCM (Former ABRSM Classical/Jazz Examiner (Grades/ARSM) and Former CT ABRSM Piano Mentor)
Andrew Hansford, born in Berkshire, holds UK music degrees from Surrey (UniS), Guildford), Bristol and Cambridge (St, Catharine’s College) universities, and with the Open University (OU) (both BA (Hons) in Humanities with Music with First Class Honours and a Postgraduate Certificate in Humanities with Music (PGCert (OU)) with Distinction). in addition to an MMus (Perf) from Bath Spa University (BSU) with Distinction in which Andrew specialised in Performance as a piano accompanist, as well as the ACRM, ARCO, LRSM, LGSM, LTCL, FLCM music diplomas (awarded mostly in piano accompaniment/performance) and the FRSA being elected a Fellow of the Royal Society of Arts at the age of 26, and he is now a life member of the RSA.
A performing classical pianist, specialising in piano accompaniment and collaborative piano relatively early on whilst at school, he is also an organist, a harpsichordist (focusing mainly in accompaniment in both these instruments as well) and a choral singer (tenor). Andrew is an active Trinity College London (TCL) Diploma Theory of Music examiner, an active international BIFF Music Adjudicator, an active Visiting Tutor in Music at Oxford University Department for Continuing Education (OUDCE) as a Visiting Tutor in Music, a piano/jazz piano tutor. Presently researching for a PhD (in Music) at the University for the Creative Arts (UCA) also occasional has piano accompaniment studies at the Royal College of Music and is also one of the resident organists at a church in Oxfordshire.
Conditions of Entry
Conditions of Entry Instrumental (See also general conditions of entry below)
- OWN CHOICE pieces must be stated on the entry form. Own choice pieces must
be by published composers, not own compositions. Own compositions should be
entered in classes I655 – I665 under the Instrumental Section. - TIME LIMITS, where specified, must be strictly observed. The performance time of the piece should be included on the entry form. In any class, the adjudicator reserves the right to stop a performance, and may choose an appropriate penalty – e.g. marks may be deducted or 1st place may not be gained. This reflects not the quality of the performance but is purely in consideration of the time spent overall. Responsibility for timing rests with the performer and their teacher / coach.
ACCOMPANIST (Instrumental & Vocal only, not Choral). There is an official accompanist available for booking, but you may well choose to make your own Independent arrangements. A charge will be made for the services of the Official Accompanist – these charges are stated on the entry form. A copy of the music must be sent to the Official Accompanist at the time of entry. Rehearsals, including payment for them, are a matter for private arrangements between the entrant and the Accompanist and these need to take place before the date of the performance.
REPEAT PERFORMANCES. Entrants may take part in as many classes as they wish (providing they are eligible) but may not play the same piece twice, nor submit the same piece from the previous year.
MUSIC COPYRIGHT. Entrants are reminded that it is against the law to photocopy copyright music without written permission from the copyright owner. Photocopies will only be accepted when an Own Choice work is selected from a publication containing several different works. In this case one copy may be made for the use of the adjudicator, provided the competitor has already purchased his / her own copy. This photocopy will be destroyed immediately after the event.
General Conditions of Entry (Please note special Conditions of Entry for each section above)
- A COPY OF PIECES FOR THE USE OF THE ADJUDICATOR must be handed in prior to your performance, and be collected at the end of the class. Please make sure your name is on the copy.
- LATE ENTRIES are not normally accepted. Where feasible, the Section Chair may possibly exercise discretion to accept a late entry shortly after the closing date. Time is of the essence, so make any such request by phone or email, not post. Fees for unaccepted late entries will be returned.
- ENTRY FEES are not refundable. Receipts will be sent on request.
- TIMES & DATES. Entrants must accept the times and dates allocated by us to any class. However, we will try to accommodate special requests in exceptional circumstances, if specified, with reasons, on the entry form.
- THE ADJUDICATOR’S DECISION will be final. No contact may be made with the Adjudicators by entrants, parents, teachers or other interested parties, unless by the consent of a member of the Committee. Trophies & prizes will be awarded to competitors at the discretion of the adjudicator.
- ELECTRONIC ACCOMPANIMENT is not allowed in any section of the Festival.
- No unauthorised PHOTOGRAPHY, VIDEO & SOUND recording is allowed at the Festival whether using cameras, phones, or other equipment. Where parents/guardians/carers do not wish photos to be taken at all, then the responsible adult attending should ensure that their child/pupil/vulnerable adult is not included in official authorised photos.
- OPEN CLASSES, AMATEURS & PROFESSIONALS. A professional is someone who earns their main livelihood from performing, not teaching, the instrument concerned. Medals are not awarded in the Open – Adult classes, and trophies are awarded at the discretion of the adjudicator.
Professionals may enter only the Open Classes and will not be eligible for trophies. However, an Open Ensemble of four or more players may contain one or more professionals (players or conductor) and still be eligible for a trophy. The number of such professionals must be stated on the entry forms.
SUB-DIVIDING & COMBINING CLASSES, & ORDER OFPERFORMANCE. The organisers will sub-divide or combine classes if circumstances make this necessary or desirable. The order of performance within a Class is at the sole discretion of the Section Chairman. Only in exceptional circumstances will the printed order be varied and then only with the agreement of the
Adjudicator.SAFETY OF PERFORMERS. It is necessary for teachers and parents to be aware of their responsibilities in entering any performers with limited physical capabilities or special needs, bearing in mind the limitations imposed by the stage and surrounding environment. It is also necessary for the teacher or parent to pass on to the adjudicator, via the section chair, any such information that would impact on the adjudicator’s work.
ADJUDICATOR’S MARKS. When awarding marks, the Adjudicators will take into consideration the suitability of own choice material in own choice classes and competency when tuning instruments, when applicable.
AGE OF AUDIENCE. Children are very welcome at the Festival, both as performers and in the audience. Generally, we ask you to consider not bringing pre-school children to the Festival. We recognise that circumstances sometimes make this unavoidable. If so, please be prepared to take out your child if they start to cause any disturbance – in fairness to the performers and the audience around you – as we do not wish to have to ask you to leave the performance room.
LOSS OR DAMAGE. The Festival Committee can accept no responsibility for loss or damage to personal belongings or equipment brought to the Festival.
CANCELLATION. The Committee reserves the right to cancel a class without prior notice.
DATA PROTECTION ACT 1998. The Woodley Festival will hold data submitted on the entry form on computer, solely for the purpose of running the Festival. The data will not be made available, or communicated, to any third party.
SAFEGUARDING POLICY. This policy relates to children under the age of 18 years and those vulnerable adults of any age who are identified to the organisers prior to their arrival at the Festival. Copies of this policy will be on display during the Festival.
Instrumental Trophy Winners 2025
| Trophy | Description | 2025 Winner |
| John Callan Trophy | Best performance in the string solo classes | Leonie Bartsch |
| Durant Cup | Most promising instrumentalist aged under 16 | Jia Wei |
| Follett Trophy | Best performance in the beginners’ classes | Andrew Zhu |
| Norman Heads Trophy | Best performance by an ensemble (multi-tracked) | LVS Jazz Band |
| Reading Chronicle Trophy | Best performance in the recorder classes | Nina Mueller |
| Beechwood Junior Brass Award | Best performance in the brass solo class 13 years & under | Oliver Bagshaw |
| Beechwood Senior Brass Award | Best performance in the brass solo class over 13 years | Edward Newton |
| Minerva Trophy | Best performance by a duet or ensemble (recorded together) | Double Stops (Sawako Etherington and Ella Tran) |
| Maxwell Trophy | Best performance in the Open sections | not awarded |
| Hook Trophy | Best performance in the woodwind solo class 13 years & under | George Casey |
| TSB Trophy | Best performance in the solo wind classes, including brass | Imara Arguelles Scotchmer |
| Millar Cup | Best performance in the concerto and recital classes | Olivia Clark |
| Instrumental Composition Award | An outstanding instrumental composition | n/a |
| Oakwood Instrumental Award | Best performance in graded classes | Eva Peirce |
| The ‘A440 Choir’ Trophy | Awarded by the A440 Choir | Olivia Clark (Harp) |