Super Saturday; music edition!

Just like the Olympics, we appear to have ourselves a truly Super Saturday of music making, and kicking it all off in true style was Francois Cloete in the Piano Jazz Under 16, performing some Gershwin, and Annabelle Pizzey in the Piano Jazz Under 18, two classes which compete for the same trophy. Two wonderful performances here, showing great understanding of the genre. It is hard to believe that Francois is still only in the Under 16 classes, as his technical skill really speaks of a much more seasoned performer, working completely from memory and giving a very stylish performance. Elizabeth said he had an amazing ability to use pauses and spaces within the music, and to change the mood from one piece to the next. He is truly becoming a piano master and is absolutely a name to look out for in the future. An Outstanding mark for an outstanding performer, congratulations Francois for winning your class, and therefore the trophy.

Smiles all round! Congrats on the win Rachel Dawson!
(Vocal Solo Under 15)

The next class, one of my favourites, was the Vocal Solo, Boys & Girls 12 and Under 15. Another well represented class, and it was great to see a male singers in this class - boys tend to disappear off the radar singing wise at this age, most obviously because of vocal transitioning. Safe to say, the lone male singer, Dominic Coyde is handling it really well, and there's a fantastic voice developing there. A little piece of advice from me to Dominic is to just be careful, as there appeared to be a little bit of nasality creeping into the voice, which can be really common for young singers trying to get a bigger sound. Sometimes we can push the voice a bit to much because we want to sound bigger, and it can get a bit stuck in the nose. Just relax and let the sound fill all the resonant spaces within you, and you'll soon find the power without the push. Truly promising work from this young lad though, well done! Elizabeth made some really useful critique about breath control, stating that "I ran out of breath" is not a good enough excuse! (Amen!) As singer's we need to spend a great deal of time reading the text, and making note of the punctuation - if there's a comma, colon or a full-stop, THEN you can breathe! A really high standard class overall, with many of these young singers tackling some difficult repertoire; Imogen Hayman showed a truly mature performance in her rendition of Gustav Holst's 'The Heart that Worships', and class winner Rachel Dawson gave a truly convincing performance of Linden Lea. Rachel is developing into an exceptional performer, and she shows great connection with each piece she performs - definitely one to watch out for.

Continuing the morning we had the Orchestral Woodwind Class, followed by another vocal class, this time Folk Song 12 and Under 15. The main piece of critical advice that came from the orchestral class was just how important scales are. This little golden nugget of information is so valuable, and not just to instrumentalists. Singers, learning scales will greatly improve your technique, and give you much more control over your voice in general, so it's definitely worth exploring them! Elizabeth mentioned that there are some fabulous apps available to assist in learning scales, and that it's important to find many different ways of playing them. She also talked to the performers about how important it is to look at the full score of the concerto music, not just your own individual line, so that you really know what's going on and can truly interpret the music. This is another valuable piece for singers too - get to know the accompaniment of your song, not just your vocal part! A truly high class session this was, with some fabulous flute playing from Maisie Whiteman, and another Outstanding performance from Jack Tostevin-Hall, the winner of the class. In the Folk Song class that followed, again, the theme of the critique was dynamics, diction and storytelling - particularly with folk songs, which are essentially old stories told through song, convincing storytelling is key to a successful performance. This was something really shown well by the class winner Simone Ashplant, but I do also want to mention Erin Vaudin, who I thought sang her song absolutely beautifully.
- Closing the morning session we had the Special Needs Choir. After not being able to see the Infant and Secondary School versions of this class, it was a joy to hear The Gateway Club this morning, and boy did they deliver! There was a slight issue to start the class, as unfortunately the group weren't able to get up onto the stage, as some of the wheelchairs were too heavy for beau sejour's wheelchair lift. So, the group performed in front of the stage instead. Complete with their colourful outfits and a vast quantity of balloons (which caused a bit of amusement as some of them escaped to the ceiling!), this group performed beautifully, well accompanied by guitar and flute. A 30 strong choir of amazing enthusiasm - congratulations Gateway Club.

Starting off the afternoon we had two piano classes, the Piano Junior Superieure Under 18, followed by the Piano Under 16. Some wonderful playing in these classes - it's clear that there's some well nurtured talent in this particular field of playing. I did enjoy Jude Wegerer's choice of programme for his Classe Superieure, I thought this was well balanced and showcased him well, earning him a Distinction. The Piano Under 16 was won by Francois Cloete, also with Distinction. The next class is one I rather like; Instrumental Solo: Learning for less than 2 years. Sometimes we forget that some musicians come to their instrument later than others, and this class is a great way of getting performers up to show what they've been learning, without pitting them against much more experienced performers. There's a lot to learn in being up against people who have had more time to develop their skills, but it's really fantastic to be able to offer a less daunting class to new musicians. I thought Hannah Bourgaize, performing on Saxophone, shows great promise as a performer, and I hope she continued to learn and grow as a musician. A well deserved Highly Commended.

Some of the 12 & Under 15 Songs from the Shows
performers with their teachers

Taking up the bulk of the afternoon was the first of the incredibly popular Songs from the Shows classes, this time for 12 and Under 15. This was a hugely contested class, with over 20 performers. Our young musical theatre performers are always fantastic, and this class really showcased the passion and dedication of each of them well. Mostly, I think each performer did a really good job at picking songs that reflect them - this is a difficult age for song choices, as voices are changing, and honestly, there's not that much material written with this age bracket in mind; many songs are too young, and most are too old, mainly in subject matter, but also in vocal range and technique requirements. There were just a few songs which I think the young singers were just not quite ready for, and perhaps they should take a step back and consider doing them again in a few years in the Under 18s class. The fight for the top of the class was hotly contested, with three acts coming in 3rd place. The class was won by Rachel Dawson for her rendition of 'Somewhere that's Green' from Little Shop of Horrors. Rachel showed such maturity for this song, and it was beautifully sung and skilfully acted. A well deserved Outstanding mark indeed. I also thought Joe Andrijasevic's delightful rendition of 'Fish and Chips' from Charlie Girl.

Saturday evening proved to be a jam-packed Super Saturday in it's own right - kicking off the evening was the Piano Duet Over 18, which showcased a huge variety of genres in a relatively short class; from the dramatic stylings of Dvorak, through the romanticism of Debussy to some funky Jazz - variety was the name of the game in this class! Elizabeth talked about the importance of teamwork, and how wonderful it is, as a pianist, to get to play with another person! Piano playing can be very lonely sometimes, so it's great to get a chance to perform in an ensemble capacity. On this occasion, it was a win for myself and my mother with our rendition of Dvorak's Slavonic Dance No 8. Elizabeth said she loved the way we got so much depth out of the piano with the huge resonant chords in this piece, which I must say, can be a challenge on the piano we all affectionally call 'The Beast'. I must say, this is one of my favourite pieces of piano to play - if you want to have a listen to a professional recording of it, click here (FYI, we don't play it this fast, that would be madness!)

Continuing the evening of epic piano music we had John Morris, performing two of his classes back to back. John is a pilot, and unfortunately got stuck on an overnight which meant he couldn't perform his Piano film class on Friday, so it was moved to the Saturday night instead. Every year John manages to pull out some incredible repertoire for both the Jazz O18 and Film O18, and this year was no exception. His rendition of the Dallas theme tune was a particular highlight for me, as he made his way through several interpretations of the theme in various different styles. However, it was the Jazz class that saw John receive the biggest mark so far in the festival, with an Outstanding 92 for 'Tea for Two'. The next class is one which is slower gaining in popularity, but I hope will eventually become as popular as it's counterparts: the Songs from the Shows Open. This class is open to duos, trios and quartets, and was essentially created to allow competitors who are from different age categories to compete together. In this class we had myself and a student of mine, Ruby-Jane Gill (Over 18 + Under 12), Jodie Hicks and Reece Kilminster (Over 18 & Under 18), Luella Taylor, Maisie Webster & Eliza Webster (Under 18, Under 15 & Under 12), and Rachel Dawson and Isabelle Lees (Under 15 & Under 12) - a fabulous mix of age ranges, but overall a really quality standard of performance.
- The next class was the Folk Song Choirs, contested by two groups; Alderney Voices, who thankfully have managed to make it over now that the weather has calmed itself down, and State of Harmony. A closely run contest this class, with State of Harmony just pipping it to the trophy with 85 marks.

Jazz babes: (L-R, Dominique Ogier, Jo Marsh, Lydia Pugh... aka, me!) 

After opening the 2nd half with a Brass Solo Open class, won by Ayrton Hockaday, we moved on to a real highlight class of the evening, the Vocal Jazz O18. Elizabeth, upon coming to the stage for the adjudication remarked that she 'felt like she was at Ronnie Scott's rather than an Eisteddfod' - high praise indeed to the performers in this class! We also had such a wide variety of jazz styles within the class itself, from the standard swing classics, to latin jazz and through to modern pop music reinvented in the jazz idiom. The top three, of which I was happily included, all scored in the Outstanding category, with Dominique Ogier coming 3rd with 90 marks for 'Witchcraft', myself placing 2nd with 91 for 'You and the Night and the Music', and Jo Marsh winning the trophy with 92 marks for her stunning rendition of 'Creep' by Radiohead (reimagined by Post Modern Jukebox). Jo created such incredible atmosphere with this song, and I must say it's the best I think I've ever heard her sing. What an incredible class!
- We closed the evening with the Gilbert & Sullivan Open, which saw the Alderney voices win themselves a trophy with a Highly Commended mark of 85 for their briskly paced 'Dance a Cacachucha' from the Gondoliers, followed by the Vocal Senior Music Making class; a class full of warmth and joyful singing, which was won by Linda Fermont for her performance of Don’t Sleep in the Subway.

What a truly Super Saturday that was - so much talent, so much music, and really, so much to enjoy.