Primary Schools Music Festival

Members of the Public Schools Choir rehearsing in the Exhibition Building, Adelaide, 11 December 1893.

Operating since 1891 and a State Icon, The Festival of Music is a joint venture of the South Australian Public Primary Schools' (SAPPS) Music Society and the Department for Education. ^[1]

This school-based music education program culminates in performances at the Adelaide Festival Centre and in ten regional centres. ^[2]

The Festival of Music provides opportunities for students to perform in:

choirs,

orchestras,

troupes,

as Hosts/soloists,

as Guest Artists,

as choreography leaders. ^[3]

History

• 1891 founded by Alexander Clark as the Public Schools Decoration Society
• 1921 Frank Gratton succeeds Inspector William John McBride as conductor of the public schools concerts, Thousand Voice Choir. ^{[4] [5]}

References

1. "Festival of Music: Home". festivalofmusic.org.au. SA Public Primary Schools' Music Society. Retrieved 25 April 2017.
2. "Primary Schools Music Festival". decd.sa.gov.au. South Australia Department for Education and Child Development. Retrieved 25 April 2017.
3. "Performance Opportunities for Students". festivalofmusic.org.au. SA Public Primary Schools' Music Society. Retrieved 25 April 2017.
4. "About Us | Primary Schools Music Festival". festivalofmusic.org.au. Retrieved 7 February 2025.
5. "PUBLIC SCHOOLS CONCERTS". The Express And Telegraph . Vol. LVIII, no. 17, 384. South Australia. 15 July 1921. p. 1 (5 O'CLOCK EDITION). Retrieved 7 February 2025– via National Library of Australia.