The penultimate day for the music section of the eisteddfod 2023, and somehow, SO much music still to be heard! We started the morning session with a huge class, the Violin Under 11. This was a delight to see, with everyone playing very confidently, it was a real showcase of up and coming young musicians. A great selection of different repertoire on show as well, including Bartok and Portnoff. Ben Costello was suitably impressed with everyone's performance in this show, and awarded a joint 3rd to Lucia Vizia, Rosie Gist and Sophia Omer Tariq with Highly Commended, joint 2nd to Lara Pimlott and Isamara Fernandes with Distinction, and the class winner was Chloe Falla for her performance of 'Flash of Lightening', also receiving a Distinction. Next up, I believe another new class (at least certainly a new trophy), the Pre-School Age Music Making, which is the youngest age bracket for performing at the eisteddfod, for which we had Butterflies Pre-School, and Elizabeth College Pre-School. I'm a firm believer in that it's never too young to start exploring music, so this was a really lovely class to see so many young children participating. Both participants received Highly Commended, with 'Butterflies Pre-School' taking home the trophy.
Continuing the group work, we had two super choir classes, the Choirs; Unison Singing Junior School Age, followed by the Choirs; Folk and Traditional Junior School Age. Some quality ensemble work on show here, with some great song choices including 'Hushabye Mountain', 'Colours of the Wind' and 'Supercalifragilisticexpialidocious' (which I'm sure was lovely for our MT-specialist adjudicator). The winners were ECJS Choir, who performed the aforementioned Mary Poppins classic and 'When You Believe', earning themselves a Distinction. In the folk class, Guernsey Music Centre Primary Choir received a Highly Commended for their performances of 'The Tailor and the Mouse', and 'When I was One'. Rounding off the morning, three instrumental classes, which were the Orchestral Woodwind; Duo/Trio/Quartet Junior School Age, the Chamber Duo/Trio/Quartet Junior School Age, and finally the Orchestral Woodwind Under 12. Again, some good playing and confidence developing here with these youngsters, in particular Rosie Gist & Lara Pimlott's performance of 'Everybody wants to be a Cat', which I thought was very together and a really fun duet. They won their class (Chamber Duo/Trio/Quartet Junior School Age) with a Highly Commended, and the winners of the other classes were Melrose Recorder Group for the Orchestral Woodwind Duo/Trio/Quartet, and Renee Mitchell for the Under 12 woodwind, both also with Highly Commended. Well done to all!
Starting off our afternoon, we had two piano classes, the Piano Under 14, and Under 16. Great to see lots of entries in this class, and some excellent skills developing with some challenging repertoire, including the likes of Edvard Grieg, Prokofiev and Chopin. I particularly enjoyed Sam Cole's rendition of 'Dance of the Knights from Romeo and Juliet', a really great piece to have in the bag as a pianist, for which he received a Distinction and the trophy for the Under 16 class. The winner of the Under 14 was Lara Pimlott, also with a Distinction for her performance of 'A Distant Star in the Stillness'. Continuing the afternoon, we had the Folk Solo 12 & Under 15, with three competitors; Elise Gregson, Phoebe West, and Luella Gilligan. A nice set of traditional folk songs here, one of my favourites being 'I know where I'm going'. There was some good story-telling emerging, and an understanding of the folk-style, with the winner of the class being Phoebe West, who received a Highly Commended.
Next up, continuing the vocal performances, we had set of vocal solo classes: the Vocal Solo; Alto and Soprano 12 & Under 15, Vocal Solo; Treble, Tenor & Bass 12 & Under 15, and the Vocal Solo; Treble, Tenor & Bass 15 & Under 18. Some good singing developing in each of these classes, but I do think that each of the singers in these categories would benefit from really sitting down with the texts of their chosen repertoire - I say this to my pop singers all the time, songs have words, and you have to know what you're singing about if you want to give an authentic performance. But it can be really hard to find the right repertoire for where you are, especially if you are going of grade singing guidelines. A really lovely moment that happened during this adjudication was, because we were running early, Ben decided to give these young singers a little masterclass on their song repertoire, which I think will prove invaluable, given that these singers will probably be doing exams shortly. I know I used to put my piano grade pieces into the eisteddfod classes when I was in the Under 18 categories, because getting that extra set of ears to give you some last minute guidance is soooooo helpful!
- The winners of each class were; Florence Glynn-Riley with Highly Commended for the Alto & Soprano Under 15, Ramsey Ismail for the Treble/Tenor/Bass Under 15, also with Highly Commended, and Archie Purdue for the Treble/Tenor&Bass Under 18 with Distinction.
Like it's earlier counter-part Piano Under 18 featured some pretty big guns in terms of the repertoire choices, including Lizst, Chopin, and Schubert. Four very accomplished performances here from four very promising pianists; Benjamin Childs, George Walker, Archie Purdue and James Kennedy - I think these four should get together and have a crack at 8-hands at 2 pianos! On this occasion the winner was Archie Purdue for his amazing performance of 'Nocturne in F Minor' by Chopin, for which he received an Outstanding. Finishing off the afternoon, we concluded with the Secondary School Age Music Making featuring St Sampson's Strings, who performed 'Enigam' by Snoek, and 'Bozrah' which was arranged by their conductor Sarah Tennant. They received a Highly Commended.
Friday night is theatre night here at the eisteddfod, and the audience who turned out for the Friday evening session were treated to, basically a showcase concert of the best of the west end, with firstly, the Songs from the Shows; Duo/Trio/Quartet Open, which was won by Emma Cunningham & Darren Alderton with a Highly Commended mark of 85 for their performance of 'Corner of the Sky' from Stephen Schwartz's show 'Pippin'. We then descended into a great medley of musical theatre classics and moderns, and an extremely high standard of performances all around. Particular highlights for me included Lindsey Veillard's brilliant performance as Elvis with 'Jailhouse Rock', Kyle Gallie's touching performance of 'For Forever' from Dear Evan Hansen, Harriet Billington's dreamy performance of 'The Meadowlark', and Dominique Ogier's absolute belting performance of 'Defying Gravity' to close out the show. I thought Kyle in particular, who I had not heard sing before, showed real promise with his voice, and I hope he continues to develop his voice in the future. A really high standard of class, as seen by the placings, which include four people in 3rd place; Lucy Cave ('Requiem'), Stephen Glencross ('Waving Through a Window'), Dave Wheeler ('Shiksa Goddess') and Darren Alderton & Alison Castle ('Nuns of the Shows'), and two people in equal 2nd; myself ('Screw Loose') and Dominique Ogier ('Defying Gravity'). The winners of the class, with a poignant and beautifully sung rendition of 'Only Us' from Dear Evan Hansen were Caroline Hardwicke & David Wheeler, with an Outstanding mark of 90.
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| Winners of the Songs From the Shows Over 18; Dave Wheeler & Caroline Hardwicke, with adjudicator Ben Costello |
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