One of the oldest festivals in the country, which has featured tens of thousands of talented young performers in its near 100 year history, will not take place in 2025.
Organisers have been forced to cancel Southampton Festival of Music and Drama, which was due to take place in March, due to a lack of entries, which would have lost them several thousand pounds.
They hope to return in 2026 for a special centenary celebration.
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Announcing the news, chairman Shelagh Lee said: "We have taken the very difficult decision to cancel this year's festival due to lack of entries. As you know, the festival is a very small charity run by a dedicated team of loyal volunteers.
"We receive absolutely no funding and so are dependent on making sure we cover our costs each year. This year with the low number of entries, if we were to run the festival we would have a shortfall of several thousand pounds."
She apologised for the disappointment to entrants and said organisers had started to process refunds for entry fees.
Musicians are being encouraged to gift their entry fee to help with a big 2026 relaunch where organisers plan to widen the selection of classes to reflect the changing world of performing arts and music.
Southampton Festival of Music and Drama was established in 1926, and has been providing a wide range of competitive music classes for both children and adults ever since.
(Image: Newsquest / Stuart Martin) It has inspired the careers of many musicians and music teachers throughout the years and is a key landmark in the UK festival scene.
Taking part in March at Thornden School, it attracts entrants from a wide area. Outstanding performances are selected for the festival concert, which brings the event to a spectacular close.
A variety of music and drama is seen and heard each year, including accordions, brass, orchestras, singers, poetry, acting and strings all the way through to woodwind.
Tens of thousands of performers have taken part over the years, many returning year after year and some even bringing their children and grandchildren along.
There were 850 entries for the first festival in 1926, which has grown to several thousand over the years competing for more than 100 cups.
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