The syllabus for the 92nd annual Swindon Music Festival is now available and organisers are urging musicians to get their entries in early.

The festival covers choirs, vocal solos, duets, group, pianoforte, strings, woodwind, guitar, ensembles, composition, brass and keyboards.

"There is something for everyone, of all ages and different brands of music, singing and instrumentals for the musically inclined,'' said Sheila Marcer, vice chairman of the music festival.

The 2001 syllabus is available now from Duck Son and Pinker at 56/60 Bridge Street, Swindon. The closing date for entries in January 19 2001.

"Get your entries in as early as possible because we cannot accept any late entries,'' said Sheila.

The Swindon Music Festival is held at the Arts Centre in Devizes Road, Old Town from Monday March 26 to Saturday April 7.

This year the adjudicators are Betty Roe, who studied piano, cello and singing at the Royal Academy of Music, before becoming a fellow, Timothy Barratt a professor with Vlado Perlemuter in Paris, Oliver Gledhill a cellist and descendant of the Spivakowsky family and Mark Wildman a chorister in Gloucester Cathedral and fellow of the RAM.

The accompanists will again be Swindon's own concert pianist Paul Turner and Rose- mary Lang a piano teacher and director of the Wantage Music Festival.

Some of the new classes this year are the Spiritual/Gospel Song any voice own choice in the Adult Vocal Classes.

There is also the Boys Solo 11,12, and 13, the boys solo 14, 15 and 16 broken voice, and the boys solo, 14, 15, and 16 unbroken voice, plus the Lieder to be sung in English for 13, 14, 15 and 16, any voice in the Junior Vocal Classes.

In the string classes there is a new Grade 8 standard and over for any age and in the jazz classes there is piano jazz 17 and under.