The next Youth Day competition is on March 19th 2011 at The Dorking Halls, Reigate Road, Dorking, Surrey, RH4 1SG. The adjudicator will be Philip White.

Click these links to download more details and an entry Form.

Saturday 27th March saw a celebration on young voices in the LHMF Youth Choirs Competition. The Dorking Halls filled and emptied four times throughout the course of the day, with six hundred and fifty children and their supporters from twenty-three schools.

Setting a great example to an audience that loved them, the children sang with enthusiasm and commitment. Many choirs had soloists with confidence that most parents' choirs would envy. The young soloists from St Paul's C of E Junior School, Kingston-upon-Thames, looking tiny on the vast stage singing "I am a small part of the world" reminding us of the value of community singing.

There was a wide variety of music chosen by the choirs ranging from the six young men from St Wilfrid's WSMS Barbershop, Crawley, singing Run by Snow Patrol contrasting with the humorous Monkey Song - I wanna be like you performed by Nutfield Church School Choir to the thoughtful performance by Pound Hill Junior School, Crawley, the children using sign language whilst singing Bob Chilcott's Can You Hear?

Adjudicator Soo Bishop began each class with a lively warm-up involving both children and audience. Giving her observations and learning points she clearly connected with the youngsters. "It's not the winning, but the taking part that's most important," she said. "Particularly being able to watch the other choirs competing and learning from them".

The Festival aims to hold a youth choirs' conductor's workshop in the Autumn in which Soo will be sharing her wealth of musical experience with teachers and music leaders. In 2011 the competition takes place on Saturday 19th March at the Dorking Halls.