The Music for Youth Regional Festival Series comes to Haverfordwest on Monday, March 10, at Sir Thomas Picton School. Over 850 young instrumentalists, singers and dancers, aged seven to 21, from Pembrokeshire will perform at one of this country-wide series of 55 regional festivals. The series is held in collaboration with the Associated Board of the Royal Schools of Music and with funding from Youth Music.

Music for Youth is delighted that 24 groups of young musicians will be performing in Haverfordwest. The groups include two orchestras and a piano trio from the host school, Sir Thomas Picton. These are joined by nine groups supported by Pembrokeshire Music Service, Haverfordwest - a brass consort, two wind bands, two orchestras, big band, jazz ensemble, saxophone quartet and Bass Instinct - and a choir from Tasker Milward VC School. Milford Haven Junior School has entered four groups for the festival and these are joined by orchestras from Saundersfoot Primary School and Ysgol Dewi Sant, St. David's. There are two groups from Pembroke School, a brass ensemble and a concert band. Groups from Tenby complete the line-up of talented young performers from this area, a choir from Tenby Junior School, as well as a percussion group and symphony orchestra from Ysgol Greenhill.

Once the final chords of the whole series are struck in Rochdale on April 6, over 54,000 young musicians, singers and dancers will have performed in the world's largest youth music festival. Many of these young performers will go on to the National Festival of Music for Youth in London when up to 300 groups are invited to the South Bank Centre (Royal Festival Hall, Queen Elizabeth Hall and Purcell Room) from July 7-12.

This year, the National Festival includes a category for rock and pop groups, a Music Education Council Symposium, Singposium, held in conjunction with the Association of British Choral Directors, the Music for Youth European Prize for piano trios, as well as a choral masterclass, jazz demos, rock, pop and young composers' workshops.

Finally, 30 groups are invited to perform at the world-acclaimed Music for Youth Schools Prom Concerts in the Royal Albert Hall on November 3, 4 and 5.