Chairman's Welcome 2022

A very big welcome to you all. What a year we’ve had, particularly in the performing arts!

I’m delighted to be able to confirm our 67th Annual Chichester Festival for Music, Dance & Speech will return to live performances at all our venues throughout Chichester and Bognor Regis.

Running the Festival in our normal “live” way was not possible in 2021, as total compliance with government rules and guidelines to ensure the safety of the entrants, our Festival volunteers and the general public was an absolute imperative. Consequently, we had to devise processes and procedures for an online Festival from a base of zero and at very short notice. This was a massive undertaking and was possible only after enormous amounts of work from our organising team.

Amazingly, we were able to have a “virtual” format, where solo performers could upload a digital video of their performance and enjoy sharing the experience with us all via Zoom. We had many entries in all solo classes and our adjudicators were able to give live feedback to every performer on each section’s given date throughout February and March 2021.

This year sees us losing both our Chairman and Treasurer to a well-deserved retirement. On behalf of the Festival Committee, I would like to thank both Jenifer Pressdee and John Pressdee for all the years of exceptional service they have dedicated as Chairman and Treasurer to the Festival Committee. We will miss them dearly but look forward to seeing them still attending many of our class performances and the Festival Gala Concert in 2022.

Looking forward to our 67th Annual Festival I do hope we will get many entries for both group ensembles as well as soloists to make this a fully inclusive, live performing arts experience.

We have, as always, exceptional and professional adjudicators lined up to encourage and inspire candidates in all our sections. Please encourage as many friends, family and pupils who are involved in the performing arts to enter one or more of the classes on offer and we hope to see as many of you as possible at our Festival in February and March 2022.

With all good wishes,

Alan Rodger

Chairman of the Chichester Festival for Music, Dance & Speech