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| 1924 Festival - Stour Choral Union in the Town Hall, Chipping Norton |
Brief History:(Dates and facts are as currently known - if you know anything different please contact us.)
| 1904 | Festival starts as Stour Choral Union in Shipston-on-Stour for the "encouragement of part-singing in the country districts" by Miss Ruth Dickins & Mrs Eleanora Dickins. |
| 1905 | Festival moves to Moreton-in-Marsh. |
| 1907 | Extended to three days due to popularity - one day devoted entirely to school singing. Small string orchestra introduced. |
| 1911 | Festival moves to Chipping Norton. |
| 1914-19 | No Festivals. |
| 1920 | Festival restarted by Ruth Savory (née Dickins). |
| 1927 | Sir Richard Terry becomes President. |
| 1935 | Financial difficulties restrict Festival activities to one day. |
| 1938 | Sir Hugh Allen becomes President |
| 1943-45 | No Festivals. |
| 1947 | Sir Thomas Armstrong becomes President - a position held for over 40 years. |
| 1958 | Instrumental section introduced. |
| 1962 | Stour Choral Union adopts a formal constitution and festival extended to two days. |
| 1963/4 | "Friends of the Festival" formed. |
| 1968/9 | "Stour Choral Union" becomes "Chipping Norton Music Festival" and becomes non-competitive. Combined choirs rehearsal introduced for final concert - this continued until 1998. Festival extended to three days. |
| 1972 | Founder Mrs. Eleanora Dickins dies. |
| 1975 | Children's Concerts introduced |
| 1976 | Affiliated to the Federation of Britsh Festivals for Music, Dance & Speech. Extended to four days. |
| 1980 | Strings and woodwind classes withdrawn. |
| 1981 | General instrumental class introduced for strings, woodwind & brass. |
| 1986 | Strings class separated from woodwind and brass. |
| 1993 | Guitar class introduced. |
| 1994 | Chipping Norton Rotary Club donates new cup for the most promising participant under 18 years with a bursary of £100 for furthering musical education. Festival activities now spread over a week. |
| 1995 | Dr Philip Cranmer becomes President. |
| 1996 | New President's Cup for the most promising participant under 14 years. |
| 1997 | Vocal Recital Class introduced for experienced, diploma standard singers. |
| 1998 | Opening concert introduced at Chipping Norton Theatre. |
| 2000 | Speech and Drama classes introduced, adjudicated by James Patrick. |
| 2001 | Anthony Williams becomes President. |
| 2002 | Composition class introduced. Wychwood Trophy (donated by Pauline Carter for the most promising pianist of primary school age up to and including Grade 5), and Padawa Award (bursary of £50 for the most promising performance by a pupil attending a Chipping Norton Partnership School). Festival goes on-line and launches website. |
| 2003 | Folk Classes introduced. |
| 2004 | Festival Centenary, including opening concert by Joanna Macgregor. |
| 2005 | William Bailey Folk Award donated by the members and friends of the Folk Club, Highworth given in his memory |
| 2006 | Open recital class introduced for experienced, diploma standard singers and performers. |
| 2007 | One-Act Play Festival to open the Festival. Folk award donated by the Chipping Norton Heritage & Traditional Music Club. Chipping Norton celebrates the 400th anniversary of the Charter. |
| 2007 | Hummer Prize for Creative Writing in memory of George Hummer.More about the Hummer Prize. The first Hummer award-winning entry. |
| 2009 | Youth Jazz Band Challenge introduced in association with Chipping Norton Rotary Club. More about the Challenge!. |
| Top of History page | |
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"Voiceworks"
from Chipping Norton School at the 2002 Festival |
| 2009 | 2008 | 2007 | 2006 | 2005 | |
| Singing | David Kirby-Ashomore Ann Lampard |
Marilyn Hill Smith Peter Hunt |
Christopher Field Penelope Price Jones |
Luise Horrocks Stuart Smith |
Ann Lampard Penelope Price Jones |
| Choirs | Andrew Padmore | Ann Lampard | Ann Lampard Vivien Pike |
Robert Latham Simon Lole |
Vivien Pike Graham Trew |
| Strings | Viviane Ronchetti | Keith Smith | Helen Browne | Viviane Ronchetti | Keith Smith |
| Wind & Brass | Paul Harris | Gill Johnston | James Stretton | Colin Touchin | Paul Harris |
| Piano | Graeme Humphrey | Anthony Williams | Anthony Williams | Ruth Gerald | Murray McLachlan |
| Guitar | Craig Ogden | Craig Ogden | Ivan Scott | Gary Ryan | Ivan Scott |
| Ensembles/Other | Viviane Ronchetti | Keith Smith | Ivan Scott | Betty Roe | Douglas Coombes Keith Smith |
| Composition | Graeme Humphrey | Keith Smith | Ivan Scott | Betty Roe | Douglas Coombes |
| Speech & Drama | Susan Mackay | Norma Redfearn | Anne Harris-Norman | Norma Redfearn | James Patrick |
| Folk | Pete Coope | John Kirkpatrick | Dave Townsend | Pete Cooper | John Kirkpatrick |
| Rotary Club Cup | President's Cup | Wychwood trophy | Padawa Award |
William Bailey Folk Award |
Chipping Norton Heritage & Traditional Folk Club Award |
Hummer Prize for creative writing |
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| 2009 | Jonti Smith | Benedict McCaw | Darcy Watkins | Hannah Lewis | Mervyn Penny | Sandra Shallis | MS Clary |
| 2008 | Therese De Souza | Isabelle Bourne Swinton Hunter | Esme Calcutt | Imogen Mead | Jeremy Walton | Fiddles & Feet | Rachel Bentham |
| 2007 | Carys Butler | Corinne Ellul | Abigail Piercy | Rosi Callery | Fiona Kent & Mary Chowen | Fiddles & Feet | - |
| 2006 | Josephine Organ-Jennings | Leila Jinnah | Emily Davenport | Imogen Mead | Helen Barr | - | - |
| 2005 | Cleo Jones | Catriona Bourne Swinton Hunter | Tom Rees | Connie Price | Mervyn Penny | - | - |
| 2004 | Sabrina Shortland | Ruairi Garvey | Peter Rycroft | Frankie Holah | - | - | - |
| 2003 | Ruairi Garvey | Josh Ridley | Camilla Harrison | Dominique Edwards | - | - | - |
| 2002 | Dominique Edwards | Chadlington Primary School | Camilla Harrison | Nikki Pritchard | - | - | - |
| 2001 | Edward Lougher | George Bone | - | - | - | - | - |
| 2000 | Frederick Emmott | Hana Nishimura | - | - | - | - | - |