The Bermuda Festival has launched a competition to select the top youth music ensemble and runners-up to perform in its 2018 programme

Organisers say the move follows a successful step to include student musicians alongside international performers in the 2017 line-up.

The competition will be open to all ensembles featuring students aged between 11 and 21 and playing any genre of music.

Ensembles can include between two and eight people and will be required to play two pieces at the auditions on Saturday, November 4.

Six bands will be selected to appear in a competition round on Saturday, January 13, from which a winner and a runner-up will be invited to perform on Tuesday, January 30, as featured artists, along with an international artist who will have provided coaching.

Festival executive director David Skinner said in a statement: “The value of the performing arts to the education and general wellbeing of our young people is unquestionable. We hope that youth bands will embrace this opportunity to play in front of their families, friends, visitors and the community at large.

“This new venture underscores the impact that the Festival Outreach programme has had in recent years. It has attracted over 1,000 students on average each year to our master classes, workshops and interactive performances, and from this we know of the high standards so many of them have achieved.

“Including them in our internationally recognised festival will speak volumes to how important music teaching is in the schools and perhaps encourage other forms of artistic expression among our young people.”

Interested bands should e-mail the Festival at outreach@bermudafestival.org.