THE Skipton Music Festival reached a triumphant finale in a concert that showcased all that was best from the week’s festival at Skipton’s Christ Church, writes Chris Wright.

The adjudicator was Marilynne Davies, internationally known as a director of choirs as well as for adjudicating festivals and supporting teachers.

In her final summing up she told of her amazement at the depth and variety of music-making in the Skipton area and paid tribute both to the teaching that is taking place and to the organisation that lies behind a week-long festival such as ours.

But it so nearly didn’t happen. As Skipton drew to a close, festivals all across the country were beginning to take the hard decision to close their doors. We got there by the skin of our teeth.

During the week, the festival included new classes and events.

On the Wednesday morning all competition was swept aside as some very young people from the children’s centre at Embsay and the Boyle and Petyt, Otley Street and Brougham Street nursery schools gathered.

A packed audience of rapt young faces sat, enthralled and silent as seven instruments were displayed in a concert of music by some 10 year-old performers.

If you’ve never seen a group of 120 three to four year-olds sitting silent and still, you’d never believe it.

The songs that each school prepared had everyone there tapping their feet and joining in. Including the adjudicator who immediately said, “This needs to go national.”

From the delightfully sublime, the festival moved through the predictable piano and recorder groups, via the less common handbells and the new organ classes to the amazing skills of young people such as Leo Lord-Cloke on her saxophone, clarinet player, Hamish Wills and pianist Josh Luxon-Robinson, all of whom were awarded rare “distinctions” and all of whom were a privilege to listen to.

Marilynne Davies was full of praise for the organisation, but under the calm surface that she saw, there was some frantic pedalling.

The festival committee needs new people who could look after a few jobs. Many of these won’t involve an enormous time commitment but all of them are vital elements in producing a platform for our young people.

All of them offer the chance to watch the unfolding of young talent and to be able to say, “I knew them when…”

Could you join us?

Contact the festival secretary: secretary@skiptonmusicfestival.co.uk

Results:

Adult Instrumental Class – Novice: Anita Lockyer. Adult Instrumental Class – Intermediate:Christine Godwin.

Adult Instrumental Class – Open: Sally Johnson. Piano Solo (Competitive) Year 4 and under: 1 Lexi Mather; 2 Tia Rhodes, Olivia Rix, William Leeming. Piano Solo Year 5 and under: 1 Jasmin Rhodes; 2 Bea Appleby.

Instrumental Group Year 7 and under: 1 Moorfield School Jazz Band, 2 Water Street School Yr2. Handbell Ensemble Year 7 and under: 1 Kildwick MiniRingers ; 2 Trinity All Saints Handbell Ringers. Change Ringing Ensemble Year 7 and under: 1 Kildwick MidiRingers ; 2 Kildwick MicroRingers, Kildwick MiniRingers. Small Ensemble Year 7 and under: 1Tom McCormick and George Clark. Guitar Solo Year 11 and under: 1Andrew Clay.

Piano Solo Year 9 and under: 1 Shurudi Selvarajah; 2Annie Faulkner, Finlay Stuart. Woodwind Solo Year 11 and under: 1 Leo Lord-Cloke; 2Hamish Wills. Woodwind Solo Year 13 and under: 1 Hamish Wills. The Birthday Class Year 9 and under: 1 Rosie Jardine; 2 Finlay Stewart. The Birthday Class Year 13 and under : 1 Daniel Burrows; 2 Christopher Faulkner. Piano Duet Year 10 and under : 1Saskia Daly and Emma Peel; 2 Rosie Jardine and Finlay Stewart. Piano Solo Year 10 and under: 1 Emily Gibbins; 2 Safia Luxon-Robinson. Duet Year 13 and under : 1 Isabella de Luca and Emilia Peers-Alton. Songs from the Shows Year 6 and under: 1 Harriet Nolan; 2 Megan Cassandro. Songs from the Shows Year 9 and under : 1Layla Chapman; 2 Nia Peedell, Sam Woodward. String Solo Year 11 and under : 1 James Uttley. String Solo Year 13 and under : 1 James Uttley. Woodwind Solo Year 7 and under : 1 Sophie Tate. Woodwind Solo Year 9 and under: 1 Shurudi Selvarajah. Songs from the Shows Year 13 and under : 1 Carys Peedell; 2 Alfie Davies. Vocal Solo Year 13 and under: 1 Jasmine Colgan. Folk Song Year 13 and under: 1 Daisy Newton. British Composer Class Year 13 and under; 1 Jasmine Colgan; Piano Solo Year 11 and under: 1 Hugo Murray; 2 Safia Luxon-Robinson and Jerry Li.

Recorder Group Year 5 and under: 1 Wycliffe CE Primary Recorder Club. Recorder Group Year 7 and under : 1 Moorfield Senior Recorder Group; 2 Wycliffe CE Primary Recorder Club, Water Street Year 5. Recorder Duet Year 5 and under: 1 Zachary Weston and Keira Pollard; 2 Jemimah Baylis and Violet Colyer Wallis, Lucy Tamsons and Antonia Ross. Descant Recorder Solo Year 5 and under: 1 Lexi Mather; 2 Freya Parkinson, Tia Rhodes. Descant Recorder Solo Year 7 and under: 1 Jasmin Rhodes; 2 Zeb Proctor, Lucinda Leeming. Treble Recorder Solo Year 7 and under : 1 Zeb Proctor; 2 Tom McCormick. Recorder Ensemble Year 12 and under : 1 Water Street Year 4 Girls; 2 Water Street Year 5 Boys. Recorder Duet Year 6 and under : 1Abigail Nixon and Tom McCormick. The Alphabet Class Year 9 and under: 1 Rosie Jardine. The Alphabet Class Year 13 and under: 1 Daniel Burrows; 2 Jacob Lockyer. The Jazz Class Year 13 and under: 1 Hamish Wills. Solo and Accompaniment Year 13 and under : 1 Josh Luxon-Robinson and Leo Lord-Cloke. Piano Solo Year 12 and under : 1Josh Luxon-Robinson; 2 Daniel Burrows. Piano Duet Year 12 and under : 1 Safia Luxon-Robinson and Charlotte Leigh; 2 Annie Faulkner and Christopher Faulkner. Piano Duet Year 13 and under: 1Josh Luxon-Robinson and Safia Luxon-Robinson. Piano Solo Year 13 and under: 1 Freya Hartley, Josh Luxon-Robinson. Piano Trio Year 13 and under: 1 Daniel Burrows and Bridget Longrigg and Jacob Lockyer.

Piano Solo Year 6 and under: 1 Jasmin Rhodes; 2 Jemima Escreet, Lucinda Leeming. Piano Duet Year 6 and under :1Megan Cassandro and Maria Stefan; 2 Amelia Barclay and Jasmin Rhodes. Piano Trio Year 6 and under: 1 Jemima Escreet and Lucinda Leeming and Maria Stefan; 2 Hope Basham and Amelia Barclay and Olivia Rix. Piano Solo Year 8 and under : 1 Huho Murray; Piano Solo Year 7 and under: 1 Poppy Newton; 2 Hugo Murray. Junior Choir Year 7 and under: 1 The Boyle and Petyt Primary School Choir; 2 Water Street Junior Choir. Solo Recital Class Year 8 and under: 1 Poppy Newton; 2 Abigail Ho. Solo Recital Class Year 10 and under: 1Leo Lord-Cloke. Solo Recital Class Year 13 and under: 1 Ben Ho.

Adult Vocal .

Solo voice and Accompaniment: 1 Breda King and Gillian Allen. Folk Song: 1 Glyn Evans. Victorian or Edwardian Song: 1 Glynn Morris. Duet: 1 Rosemary Brown and Breda King. Over 60’s Solo: 1 Glyn Evans. Light Opera: 1 Breda King. Sacred Oratorio or Mass: 1 Polly Sedman. Songs from the Shows: 1 Glynn Morris. British Composer: 1 Rosemary Brown. Opera Class: 1 Polly Sedman. Solo Voice (Rosebowl) Class: 1 Glynn Morris. Ladies’ Choir : 1 Nelson Civic Ladies’ Choir. Small Vocal Ensemble: 1 Skipton Ladies’ Chamber Choir. Mixed Voice Choir: 1 The Skipton Choir.