THE Mary Wakefield Westmorland Music Festival is tuning up to be another roaring success.

The eminent week-long grand celebration of music, first staged in 1885, making it one of the earliest competitive festivals, opens on Saturday (March 14) with a Rock, Pop and Jazz Fun Day at Kendal's Queen Katherine School Music Suite, in collaboration with Karen West and the QKS Community Music scheme.

Later (7.30pm), the Westmorland Orchestra perform under the biennial festival's banner at Kendal Leisure Centre's Westmorland Hall.

Another massive must-see festival event will be the Choral Celebration on Saturday, March 21, at St Thomas's Church, Kendal, with morning and afternoon sessions, featuring the creme de la creme of the region's choirs - Levens, Kendal South, Kendal Choral, Arnside, Ambleside, K Shoes Male Voice Choir, Ulverston, Kirkby Lonsdale, Eversley, and Lacuna Upper Voice, formerly Donne Amabile, the mothers of members of Amabile Girls Choir.

The choral gathering will be led by highly respected conductor Justin Doyle, who was a chorister at Westminster Cathedral and studied at King’s College, Cambridge. He won second prize in the prestigious Cadaqués Orchestra Conducting Competition and was awarded the first Conductor Fellowship with the BBC Singers.

Lancaster-born Justin's recent engagements have included concerts with the Orchestra of Opera North, Northern Sinfonia, Hallé Orchestra, King’s Camerata, Johannesburg Philharmonic Orchestra, New London Orchestra, Manchester Camerata, Sinfonia of Leeds, Haffner Orchestra, Essex Symphony Orchestra, Jersey Chamber Orchestra, regular broadcasts for BBC Radio and a cover CD for BBC Music Magazine.

He is principal conductor of Manchester Chamber Choir and of Manchester University Chorus and musical director of Opera North Children’s Chorus, and has been artistic director of Ryedale Festival and Swaledale Festival. His broad musical tastes have also led him to work with period instrument ensembles such as Da Chiesa baroque ensemble and the Harmony of Nations, collaborate with African musicians and arrange folk music from all over the world, conduct live orchestral film scores and undertake research on Haydn and the music of Hungary.

Festival week at a glance...

Monday, March 16: adjudicated classes begin at Kendal Town Hall (morning and afternoon) and United Reformed Church (evening). School and community choirs in the evening at 6.30pm.

Tuesday, March 17: more classes at URC. New and popular Pop Ballad Class in the evening, 7pm.

Wednesday, March 18: classes morning and afternoon.

Friday, March 20: the excellent Festival Showcase Concert, including the Jim Noble Award Finals on Friday, March 20 at Kendal Town Hall (7pm).

Saturday, March 21: Choral Celebration Day, St Thomas's Church Kendal, morning and afternoon sessions.

All festival classes and events are open to the public.

Tickets for Saturday's Westmorland Orchestra concert are available at Kendal's Brewery Arts Centre box office on 01539-725133 and at the door.