20 September 2025. Entries are open for the Speech & Drama Day in November

The Speech & Drama day of the North London Festival of Music, Speech & Drama will take place on Sunday 16 November at The Bull Theatre in Barnet. We are delighted that Richard Marquiss and Vivienne Redford have agreed to be our adjudicators this year.

Entries are now open. For full details on classes and how to apply see the Speech & Drama page.

2 June 2025. Music Festival over for another year

The music sections of the North London Music Festival of Music, Speech & Drama came to an end with a wonderful End of Festival concert on 20 May. See photographs of the concert here. There are also photographs of one of the Piano Premier Competitions here. If you have any feedback on the running of the Festival – what went well or suggestions to improve it for next year, then please get in touch!

We still have Speech & Drama to look forward to later in the year.

20 May 2025. End of Festival Concert

The End of Festival concert takes place at the Free Church, Hampstead Garden Suburb starting at 18:30. This is a great opportunity to hear some of the most inspiring musicians repeat their performances from across the classes in the Festival. Entry is free, but donations welcome to keep the Festival running.

22 April 2025. Classes Resume after Easter

Today classes resume after a break over Easter. Entries for classes are now closed. Please drop in to support the participants and encourage them to give their best. Read what is going on where in the timetable page.

20 March 2025. Entry dates for Classes

Entries have been coming in for all classes. Entries for classes before Easter have now closed.

Entries for most classes after Easter have to be made by 21 March for piano classes, and by12 April for most others. Please check the actual deadlines on the timetable page.

Feb 2025. Sara Medina

It is with great sadness that the North London Festival of Music, Speech and Drama wishes to post that Shirley Joughan, known to the Festival as Sara Medina, has passed away following a short illness.

For almost nine decades Sara had been an active participant in the festival, both as a child performing in competitions and as an adult, tirelessly organising the piano section for 32 years from 1983 to 2014. Sara sponsored a prize for the open piano recital class and has done so for the 2025 Festival.

In recent years she had continued to pass on her knowledge through her teaching, and even though she had been registered as blind, was doing so up until last Christmas. Her funeral was at 3pm on 28 February 2025 at Golders Green crematorium, London.

Nov 2024. Speech & Drama Day

We held a very successful day of classes for Speech & Drama on 24 November 2024 at a new venue for us, the Chickenshed Theatre, Southgate, London.

Check back again for news of our Speech & Drama day to be planned for late 2025. Why not sign up for our mailing list?

Sept 2024. Concerto Competition

On 29 September 2024 Forest Philharmonic Orchestra organised the North & East London Musician of the Year Competition for three prize-winners of the North London Festival’s 2024 D’Addario Competition. Each finalist (pictured) performed a concerto movement with the orchestra at a packed St. Gabriel’s Church, Aldersbrook, London E12. The winner on the night was Esther Park who played the first movement of the Sibelius Violin Concerto. Esther will go on to play a concerto in a Forest Philharmonic concert. The other two finalists were Joseph Reynolds, cello and Yixuan Kassia Ren, violin.

May 2024. End of Festival Concert

View some video clips showing some of our marvellous players in the concert at the end of the Festival in May 2024.

Apr 2024. Dan Collins

Up until 2024 Dan was the Administrator of the Speech & Drama section of the North London Festival of Music, Speech & Drama. Sadly he passed away in April 2024. He put so much energy, time, enthusiasm, skill, joy and care into his organising the Speech & Drama classes over recent years. He will be greatly missed and the NLF Festival organisers are very grateful for all he has done for young people in giving them the opportunities to develop their talents.

May 2023. End of Festival Concert

Some photographs from the End of Festival concert held on 13 May 2023 at the Free Church, Hampstead Garden Suburb.