FOLLOWING on from last week's coverage The Westmorland Gazette celebrates the achievements of those performing in the second half of the prestigious week-long 2017 Mary Wakefield Westmorland Music Festival

Choral power and one of its best ever Festival Showcase concerts brought the curtain down on this year's glorious Mary Wakefield Westmorland Music Festival.

Festival chairman Mary Powney said she was delighted by both the high number and quality of all the festival's performers: "From the rock and pop morning right through to the Choral Celebration Day there has been a wealth of talent on display," added Mrs Powney.

"The performers have all been very supportive of each other and our two adjudicators - Daniel Chandler and Steven Roberts - each contributed to the festive spirit while offering wise advice, eagerly accepted by all who heard them.

"And our Showcase Concert, together with the Jim Noble Award finals, was, by general consent, the best ever, and bodes well for the future.

"We now look forward to our next events - a ‘come and sing’ Elijah in July and a primary schools workshop in October, featuring excerpts from The Sound of Music."

On the Wednesday morning the vocal duet class for performers in year nine and under was won by Ellie Chadwick and Ella Muschamp, singing Poor Wayfaring Stranger. The winner of the McLean Family Cup for solo folksong was won by Rebecca Chandler, with a haunting performance of Noble Maiden Fair by Patrick Doyle. Alexander Southall’s pleasant baritone voice singing Foxgloves by Michael Head won the vocal solo class for young men’s voices.

In the afternoon it was the turn of primary school age singers: Rowan Matthews won the trophy for a Favourite Song in years three and four with The Crocodile by Peter Jenkins, and Songs from a Disney Production for the same age group was won by Jennifer Steele. Other classes of the afternoon were Favourite Songs for years five and six won by Madeleine Balfour singing Caro mio ben with Charlotte Mason appropriately landing the Charlotte Mason Cup for Disney Songs in the same years.

The first class of the evening was for vocal duet year 13 and under, with Faye Bowness and Rebecca Chandler - both names to watch in the future - taking first place with Silent Worship by Handel. Songs from the Shows for years 12 and 13 was won by Martha Boggon with a very convincing performance of Wait a Bit from the musical Just So.

Thursday saw Windermere School students Charlotte Salisbury and Eve Handy land the composers class in years 10 and 11; the adjudicator and audience heard performances of their compositions on CD. Both pieces, one for harp, the other for a group of instruments, were well received. As a result both were awarded joint first place.

Classes for pianists and strings players in year 6 and under brought the festival's adjudicated classes to a five star finish. The strings class was won by Tiegan Lowthian with a violin arrangement of the Intermezzo from Mascagni’s opera Cavalleria Rusticana, while both of the piano classes - one for composers writing between 1750 and 1900, and one for modern composers - were won impressively by Edwin Hui.

And so to one of the major highlights of the festival - Friday night's fabulous Festival Showcase Concert and Jim Noble Award Finals.

The programme opened in terrific style courtesy of the Amabile Girls’ Choir, followed by some of the younger performers and the Windermere School Flute Trio. The first half ended with performances from the Jim Noble Award finalists: Thomas Burrows (piano), Faye Bowness (soprano), Alistair Burton (violin) and Rebecca Chandler (mezzo soprano). Some of the star turns of the second half were a spirited piano performance by Tanya Pencu of Joc Tiganesc by Tudor Ciortea; Alexander Southall reprised presentation of Foxgloves, and Faye Bowness and Rebecca Chandler singing Silent Worship.

Amabile Bursary Awards worth £50 were made to Amelia King (years five-seven), Isobel Pringle (years eight-10) and Rebecca Chandler (years 11-13).

Finally, the prizewinning spotlight shone on violinist Alistair Burton, who adjudicators Jonathan Thackeray, Wendy Cann and Alan Noble deemed winner of this year’s Jim Noble Award and £500 prize money.

Concluding festival week was Saturday's Choral Celebration Day with eight quality local choirs gathering under the roof of Kendal's St Thomas’s Church, celebrating the joy of singing, each giving 20-minute performances, culminating at the end of both the morning and afternoon sessions with combined choirs singing the Festival Chorale, Glory now to Thee be given by Bach, led by Rachael Lee, director of the Rushley Singers.

Results:

Wednesday. Vocal duet - year 9 and under: 1 Ellie Chadwick, Ella Muschamp; 2 Bethany Saunders, Emma Heginbotham; 3= Aliyah Rennison, Mia Hubble/Amelia King, Coco Cleary. Vocal solo - years 9-10: 1 Emily Coates; 2 Ellie Judson. Solo folksong - year 13 and under: 1 Rebecca Chandler; 2 Faye Bowness; 3 Isobel Pringle. Vocal solo, tenors, baritones or basses - year 13 and under: 1 Alexander Southall; 2 Nathan Miller. Vocal solo, sopranos or altos - years 11-13: 1 Faye Bowness; 2 Rachel Coombs; 3 Rebecca Chandler.

Thursday. Composers - years 10-11: 1= Eve Handy/Charlotte Salisbury. Strings solo - year 6 and under: 1 Tiegan Lowthian; 2= Alessia Guidici/Nuala Sankey 3 Mamie Keegan. Piano solo - classical or romantic composers (1750-1900), year 6 and under: 1 Edwin Hui; 2 Joyce Anna; 3 Nicole Greenway. 20th/21st century composers: 1 Edwin Hui; 2= Leo Yeung/Emma Slater; 3 Joyce Anna.