The Casterbridge Music Development Academy (CMDA) is proud to host the first- ever Route 40 Music Festival at the Casterbridge Lifestyle Centre on the R40 outside White River over the weekend of December 6 to 8.

The festival will be held as part of a collaborative venture between the CMDA, the Carnegie Hall Musical Exchange Programme in New York and the Rock School Scholarship Fund in California.

The festival marks the culmination of a song-writing contest recently held in South Africa and in the USA for youngsters aged 13 to 18.

Judges who had an integral part in choosing the 12 finalists included the likes of Grammy-award winning artist Dave Matthews, and other international musical greats, as well as our own home-grown Kahn Morbee (The Parlotones), Vusi Mahlasela, Kabelo Mabalane (TKZee), Craig Hinds (Watershed), Elvis Blue, Jason Hartman, Ross Learmonth (Prime Circle) and Zolani Mahola (Freshlyground).

Some of these judges have also agreed to perform at the music festival.

The CMDA youth bands and talent from South African schools will perform on the Coca-Cola stage and a variety of headline acts will alternate during the day and evening at the Performing Arts Centre and at the old Car Museum in the Casterbridge Lifestyle Centre.

The CMDA has a line-up of fantastic headline acts, and these include

subject to change) Vusi Mahlasela, The Parlotones,Watershed, Prime Circle, Elvis Blue, Zebra and Giraffe, Tailor, Matthew Mole, Brother Moves On, Jason Hartman, Paige Mac, Verity, Daniel Baron and

Rayland Baxter.

As an alternative to the music the public will have an opportunity to meet and interact with headline musicians in the Casterbridge Cinema.

Here they will be able to hear stories about their favourite artists and get their autographs. Artists will also give lectures in various categories that will appeal to up and coming musicians.

The Casterbridge Lifestyle Centre will be jam packed with exhibition stations including those of Afda Film School of South Africa, universities of Cape Town and KwaZulu-Natal, Harry Green Music World, Rolling Stone, Fender, Harley-Davidson, World of Yamaha, and more.

And of course a festival wouldn't be a festival without the food stalls, added to which will be fine dining in the restaurants at the centre.

The Route 40 Music Festival is set to become an annual event and it is envisioned that in the future it will incorporate neigh-bouring towns along the R40, and will benefit many businesses in the Lowveld. It is expected that some 4 000 people will attend.

Tickets: day R150pp, weekend pass R350pp

They are available on www.2Enable.org or from the CMDA office on 013-751-3135

Follow Casterbridge Music Development Academy on Facebook for regular updates or visit the CMDA website at

www.mpuma-music.org.za.