"Wear it on the Sleeve..."

Wednesday's sessions, and we are getting into the home straight of the Music Section of the Eisteddfod 2023. We started the day with the Unison Singing; Infant Choirs class, and another wonderful display of group singing from our youngsters. Some more complicated organisation going on, making sure each choir gets to hear each other, which is hugely important for developing musicians, not only to know what they are doing, but to experience what their peers are working on. Some really soul-warming songs on show here too, with the likes of 'Teddy Bear Rock n Roll' and 'Give a Little Smile', a definite happy start to the day! On this occasion, Blanchelande College Infant Choir were the winners with Distinction. After the choir madness, we calmed down a bit with two cello classes; the Cello Under 9, and Under 11. I was surprised to see these classes so under-represented, as I've always known them to be very popular classes, much like the young Violin classes. Nonetheless, some fine cello playing on display and some lovely song choices. The winner of the Under 9 was Dexter Barnes with a Highly Commended performance of 'Whirlpool Waltz', and the winner of the Under 11 was Solomon Bearder with a Distinction performance of 'Concerto' by Vivaldi. 

Following the cellos, we had a string (haha!) of vocal class, starting with the Vocal Solo Under 8, and two lovely performances by Edie Bromley and Genevieve Jager. I get asked a lot as a vocal coach about whether young singers need a teacher or guidance at that age, and my response is always, "would you expect a potential athlete to just learn their sport by themselves?" - of course having a teacher is beneficial! But crucially, finding the right teacher is important, not just from a personality point of view, but expertise with the type of singer. It's good to see that these young singers are getting a good start with their singing. The winner was Edie Bromley for her performance of 'The Crocodile', receiving a Highly Commended. We continued with the Vocal Solo Boys Under 10, with only two competitors, and the Vocal Solo Girls Under 10... with MANY more competitors. I personally don't see the need to separate out voices at this age, from a development point of view, it's highly unlikely that any voices would be transitioning at this age, but perhaps it's purely a numbers thing, that girls are more likely to want to get up and sing at this age than boys. I would be lovely to see a bigger gender balance overall! In the Boys Under 10, Both Jake and Nathaniel received a Highly Commended for their lovely songs, but on this occasion the winner was Nathaniel for his performance of 'Coconut Man' (a great song, by the way!). In the Vocal Solo Girls Under 10, there was some really excellent vocals on display, exploring some lovely repertoire for this style of singing. I particularly liked 'Butterfly' and 'Earth, Sea and Sky' by Lin Marsh, who is an excellent composer of songs for this age bracket and voice type. The wiinner of this class was Isamara Fenandes with Distinction, who incidentally, I realise was the lovely young soloists from the Les Encores Starts Up Singers who we heard at Les Cappelles on Sunday. A really lovely tone developing on this young singer. Finishing off the morning, we had another vocal solo class, the Vocal Solo Girls 10 & Under 12. Again, we were treated to another good set of singers, and yet more lovely repertoire choices. It is interesting to see how many of these songs for this age are about animals though... 'The Dormouse House', 'Seagull', 'The Owls...'  The winner of this class was Ruby Coyde with a Distinction performance of yet another Lin Marsh classic, 'Hallowe'en Witches'.

Kicking off the afternoon session we had the Cello Under 18, with, I must say, some really stellar playing on show, and some incredibly challenging repertoire. I will say though, a lot of OLD repertoire, I'd love to see these players tackle some modern works and really explore the diversity you can get out of the cello! A closely contested class this between Archie Purdue and Benjamin Childs in particular, but on this occasion Archie Purdue was victorious with a Distinction for his performance of 'Sonata for Cello & Piano' by Debussy. Next up, a set of vocal classes, the Vocal Duet Under 15, Duet 15 & Under 18, and Trio or Quartet Under 18. Again, given how many fine young singers I've seen this year, it's a shame these classes weren't better represented - I'd love to see lots more entries in these classes and students learning to sing together with each other. Nonetheless, some lovely work on display, with all the performers receiving Highly Commended for their efforts, and the class winners being Florence and Beatrice Glynn-Riley for the Under 15 duet, Maddie Vaudin and Naomi Kewell for the Under 18 duet, and Julia Madden, Lauren Varley and Evie Petterson for the Under 18 Trio/Quartet, performing 'A Clare Benediction' by John Rutter.

Jumping about a bit here, just so I can talk like for like, next I'll talk about the Choirs; Secondary School Age, featuring Cantabile and Ladies College Senior Motet. Some more very good singing here, but on the day, Cantabile had (for me) the better ensemble performance, and were awarded the class win and a Distinction for their performaces of 'A La Cart' and 'Autumn Leaves'. Next up we had two chamber music classes (consecutive in my blog, not on the day!), the Chamber Music; Duo/Trio/Quartet Secondary School Age, and the Chamber Music; Teacher & Pupil. These were two really lovely classes, which again, I feel could have many more participants in them given how much talent we have lurking about. The Teacher with Pupil class is particularly is a lovely class to get students to perform alongside their teacher as a peer, rather than as the higher status (or with the teacher as 'accompanist', which is most typically the case). Highly Commended all around here, with Ellie Garlands and Nicole Wyatt taking the trophy. In the Chamber Secondary School Age, the winners were Vivace! Featuring Benjamin Childs, performing a stellar rendition of 'Piano Quartet in G Minor ' by Mozart, for which they quite rightly received an Outstanding.
- And finally for the afternoon, two solo performance classes, which, again, I'd love to see more participants in, first of which was the Versatility Under 18, which requires the competitors to perform on two instruments separately (not like the self-accompanied... although there's no rule about accompanying yourself if you're singing!). Sam Cole was the sole participant, performing on Violin and Piano (which is only two of his instruments by the way, as he is also an excellent guitarist), and won the class with a well-deserved Distinction. And finally, we had the Double Bass Under 18, for which Alexandra Dorey was the winner with a Highly Commended performance for her 'Meditation from Thais' by Massenet. 

Opening the evenings session we had the Musical Scene Over 18, for which competitor's perform for a maximum of 20minutes. This can be a scene taken out of a musical, or as is often quite common a medley performance of show 'highlights', which is what Music Theatre Guernsey chose to do with their performance of 'Godspell'. Not as well-known a musical as some of Stephen Schwartz's other works, but it has some really wonderful music in it (I was in the band for a production many years ago), and I thought they did very well with their chosen songs for their scene, which they performed more in a concert-style setting, rather than a full-staged choreographed number. Some good ensemble work and promising solo performances, earning themselves a Distinction mark of 88 and the Ivygate Trophy. 

Next up, the Self-Accompanied Over 18, for which I was participating in. Self-accompanying is it's own secret beast of a skill-set, as you not only have to be competent on your voice and chosen accompanying instrument, you have to create a balance and cohesive ensemble.... and continue to perform with emotion and authenticity and not be distracted by what you're playing! It seems like you're doing two things at once, but really, you're doing much, much more. Four competitors in this class, with two on guitar and two on piano, and with everyone managing that careful requirement of balance from the instrument - not an easy thing to do with our old friend 'The Beast' (aka, the piano), but Emma Lancaster and Darren Alderton managed this with ease. A good variety of songs in this class two, with everything from more traditional folk, through Disney, Paul McCartney and 80s synth-pop stripped back to acoustic ballad, it was a class of versatility and variety for sure. I'm delighted to say that I won this class with an Outstanding mark of 90 for my performance of 'Only You' by Yazoo. 

Continuing on, we had another two solo performance classes, the Piano Jazz Over 18, and the Cello Open, featuring two very accomplished performers in their own rights. In the Piano Jazz we were treated to John Morris' pianistic fireworks with his rendition of 'Tea for Two', and for which he was awarded the trophy and a Distinction. In the Cello Open, Archie Purdue won with a Distinction mark of 88, although I and I think a lot of the audience felt this was an actually an Outstanding performance, as the maturity Archie showed in his playing was truly wonderful. Next up, the Choirs; Madrigal Over 18 featuring MTG's Vocally Unlocked. Two diverse song choices in this genre; a more traditional madrigal of 'The Month of Maying', and a fun madrigal style setting of the 90s hit 'Wannabe' by the Spice Girls (I do love it when songs get a genre overhaul!). They were awarded Distinction mark of 88 for their performances. Finishing off the evening, one of the highlight classes of the Adult section in my opinion Pop Song Over 18, which is always a really great class full of diversity and challenging repertoire, with songs ranging from Hozier, Katie Melua, Elton John and Adele. Personal highlights for me included Jo Marsh's stunning rendition of 'Goodbye Yellowbrick Road' (originally Elton John, but this was a more ballad style arrangement), and Alison Castle's rememberable and poignant a cappella performance of 'Some Say I've Got Devil' by Melanie Safka, for which she gave a heartfelt spoken introduction to. A hotly contested class, with equal 3rd and equal 2nd all receiving a Distinction, but the winner was Stephen Glencross with his effortless and stylish performance of 'Walking in Memphis' (which is STILL in my head as I'm writing this), for which he received a Distinction mark of 89. A cracking way to close out the night's festivities, thank you all! 

Stephen Glencross, winner of the O18 Pop Song (and with the trophy
that everyone is secretly happy 'not' to win, because no one knows where
they would put it!)