Caerleon Arts Festival has become an annual highlight in South Wales for those who love the arts.  Over the past five years the festival has developed from its origin as a Sculpture Symposium into a broad spectrum arts event incorporating music, visual arts, drama, dance, poetry, film and more.  This year’s festival will run from 4th to 13th July.

To complement our popular annual schools art competition, last year we introduced the Schools Composing Competition with a trophy and a prize of £100 for each category.  The categories are  KS2 Years 5 & 6,   KS3  and  KS4.

The competition theme this year is SUPERHEROES and children are asked to compose a theme for the superhero of their choice.  The hero can be an existing one or the entrant may wish to invent a new one.  The music should reflect the qualities of the character that makes him or her a superhero.

For further information, or to book a free workshop, please contact Stephen Benavente by  e-mail at  stevebenavente@btinternet.com   or by phone on  01633 420183

Worksheets are available to help entrants with their compositions.  These worksheets have been sent to all schools in the area.  In addition, Junior schools are offered a free 2-hour workshop conducted by Stephen Benavente of Isca Music.   These workshops are designed to help teachers and pupils to find musical ideas and develop them into completed original compositions.

Entrants should register as soon as possible but no later than  14th April 2008 and the finished piece must be submitted by 15th June 2008    The trophies will be presented at the Festival opening on Friday 4th July 2008.  There is no charge for entering the competition.