Volunteers: Accommodation & Transport

SMF is almost entirely run by volunteers. Today the performers start arriving, so the Accommodation & Transport committee are about to be very busy. Available accommodation is so scarce during SMF that many of the performers are hosted (at no cost) by local residents in their own homes. As you can imagine, this sometimes leads to confusion when artists are expecting to be in a B&B or hotel. But SMF has run successfully on this basis for the past 30-odd years and it does create a very different atmosphere for the performers compared with what they're used to. The Accommodation & Transport Committee has the unenviable task of persuading people to host performers. This year has been particularly challenging since they've had to find hosts for the 60-strong Huddersfield Choral Society in addition to the usual array of performers. ** Today, the committee members will start collecting people from the airport and ferry terminals to take them to their lodgings. Best of luck to chairperson Karen and the rest of her team!

The Conducting and Composing courses are already well under way, having started on the 13th June. The Conducting Course has been going strong for 7 years now. This year's Director is Martyn Brabbins, who has directed every Orkney Conducting Course bar one. The newer Composing Course is directed by Alisdair Nicolson and Sally Beamish. More details here and here. Conducting Course participants get the opportunity to work with the musicians and conductors performing in SMF, plus they conduct one of the Festival Chorus rehearsals. Composers will have their new work performed next Wednesday.

** Many Huddersfield Choral Society members are being hosted by Festival Chorus members.