Super Saturday At the Eisteddfod

Starting the first Saturday of the Eisteddfod, we had three piano classes, the Piano Under 8, Under 9, and Under 10. Some fine work being displayed here by these young pianists, and a good level of confidence. The Eisteddfod stage is big, and can by daunting for anyone, and the pianists have to contend with also playing an instrument that is not what they are used to, so it was lovely to see them all taking command of the instrument we Eisteddfod veteran's lovingly call 'The Beast'. Winners of the classes were Thomas Boscher for the Under 8 with Highly Commended, Sienna Battaglia for the Under 9 with a Distinction, and Sofie Le Marquand in the Under 10 with a Highly Commended. 

Carrying on the morning session was the Instrumental Solo Under 18, which was won by Ezra Gist with a Distinction for his performance of 'Cool Drift', and following that the Folk Solo Under 12. Folk singing is a wonderful traditional style of music, and so very accessible to all, singers, musicians, all abilities and ages. I'd love to see more exploration of other countries folk songs, just in general (we tend to stick to the home counties I've noticed), which would be a real treat for musical development in general. Some fine singing in this class, with lots of great story-telling and character on display. The class was won by Bea Wilson, who I must say I have noticed some wonderful development in her vocal abilities and presence since I last saw her perform, so I hope she continues on this path. She won the class with a Distinction for her performance of 'The Tailor and The Mouse'. Next we had the Piano Under 12, where, like their younger counterparts these pianists took good command of their instrument and the stage. Some more adventurous repertoire choices being explored in this class such as Bela Bartok, which is lovely to see, and some fine playing abilities on display. The winner of the class was Clemence Howe with a Distinction

Rounding off the morning we had another of my favourite classes, the Special Needs Choir Open, featuring Gateway Club Choir, performing two wonderfully fun pieces, 'Take me Home (Country Roads)' and 'I Wanna Be Like You'. It has been well documented how beneficial singing is for health and wellbeing, and this was displayed so clearly by this group from the fun and joy they had with their performance. Thank you Gateway, a wonderful way to end the morning! 

The Saturday Afternoon session was, let's just say, a big one! We started with two Pop songs classes, the Pop Song Duo/Trio/Quartet Under 15, and the Under 18. It was a shame these classes were not more heavily contested, having seen the large numbers of young singers in the Under 12 pop class (and knowing how many are to come later in the week), so I'd personally like to encourage more of our young pop singers to take on the challenge of singing in small groups together, there's some great repertoire to explore, and part singing is such an invaluable tool in the contemporary singers toolbox. Some great work from those who did take part together though, with Clarie Elston and Eliza Webster winning the Under 15 class with a Highly Commended, and Poppy Cochrane and Freya Tardif winning the Under 18 with a rousing rendition of 'River Deep, Mountain High' with Distinction. 

For the rest of the afternoon, we were treated to the first of the musical theatre classes, the Songs from the Shows Under 15 & Under 18. Some great work here from everyone, which Ben Costello reflected on when he stated that everyone had received a Highly Commended or higher. My personal highlights of the class were Lea Phillips heroic performance of 'Ring Them Bells', not an easy number and I thought she delivered it with poise, grace and very clear diction, and Lily Becker's amazing mix-belt hight notes at the end of her performance of 'Astonishing'. Ben talked to all the competitors about some general points to further develop their work, such as listening (and reading) what the composer wrote, and not just listening to the soundtrack and copying a particular artist. Use the music to make informed choices. He praised the performers on their bold repertoire choices, superb acting through song, and genuinely authentic deliveries. A tough one to call I felt as there was such great work on display, but today we had Kathleen Truelove and Amelia Garn in 3rd for their duet 'What is this Feeling?', Amelia placed again in 2nd for her heartfelt and committed performance of 'Journey to the Past', and todays winner was Isabelle Lees, who received and Outstanding for her emotional and powerful performance of 'Burn' from Hamilton. Well done to everyone in this class, and keep up the great work! 

L-R: Isabelle Lees, Kathleen Truelove and Amelia Garn from the Under 18 Songs from the Shows

Kicking off the evening session we say Marilyn Pugh return to the stage to perform in the Piano Classe Superieure Over 18. Continuing her theme of female composers this year, she performed two pieces by Fanny Mendelssohn-Hensel, and a small work collection of pieces from 'Petite Suite' written by Lydia Jane Pugh (yes, that's me!). Ben praised Marilyn for her sensitive and evocative playing, and from my own perspective I thought my mum played my suite very well - a lot of the pieces sound easy, but there is a lot of detail and challenging techniques in there which she tackled brilliantly. She was awarded the trophy and a Highly Commended mark of 86. Next up we had two string-based classes, the Violin Open, and the Chamber Music Open. Some absolutely amazing playing on display here, particularly that of Sam Cole in the Violin Open, who's performance of Recitativo and Scherzo-Caprice by Fritz Kreisler was absolutely mesmerising, earning him an Outstanding mark of 91, the highest of the festival so far. We were also treated to some equally wonderful playing in the Chamber Music class with Vivace! performing a spell-binding rendition of 'She's Like the Swallow', receiving another Outstanding mark with a 90.  

Closing out the evening, a class which in recent years has become a festival favourite, the Choirs Mixed Voices Over 18. Six choirs took to the stage, which was amazing to see so many different choirs (and therefore so many people!), such variety in repertoire AND a choir from across the pond in Jersey! Each choir offered something unique to them, my personal highlights from each choir: 
- The Guernsey Singers (for which I conducted), performed my piece (yes, had another one performed today) 'Celebration of Song' with such vibrancy and gusto
- MTG's Vocally Unlocked's rendition of 'Hide and Seek' by Imogen Heap was touching, heartfelt, and full of gentleness
- Les Conteurs Singers gave a suitably rhythmic performance of 'Feeling Groovy'
- MTG's La Rocque Choir's performance of 'My Blue Sky' was driving, toe-tapping and full of fun and feeling 
- The Accidentals (for whom I sing with) performed an epic version of 'True Colours' (which features an incredible key change, it's a stunning arrangement) 
- The Wright Notes? gave a wonderful performance of 'Africa', complete with opening soundscape and gentle choreography.  
A truly special class this one, with so much to enjoy, for everyone on stage and off. On this occassion, Vocally Unlocked took the win with 89 Marks (Distinction) 

Another great day at the Eisteddfod, with so much talent and hard work on display. The festival feels up and running now, and here's to another full week of music-making. 

Winners of the Mixed Choirs Class O18, MTG's Vocally Unlocked