ONE of the largest gatherings of musical talent in the UK took place in Ulverston this week - the South Cumbria Musical Festival, and once again The Westmorland Gazette celebrates the achievements of the many performers taking part in the first three days of the week-long event.

THE super sounds of brass got this year's South Cumbria Musical Festival off to a rousing start.

Sunday's events at the Coronation Hall included brass solos, duets and ensembles in both age restricted and 'open' classes. Junior brass bands, included St Bernard's Brass Band, Holborn Hill Royal Brass Band - Schools Section and St Pius X Brass Band.

Quality entertainment in the evening included performances by Holborn Hill Brass Band Juniors, Dalton Town Band, South Cumbria Retirement Band, Burneside Brass and Flookburgh Band.

The standard of play was judged to be good throughout the day, with several competitors giving commended performances.

In the junior classes Connor O'Hara of Ulverston was awarded the Kimberly-Clark Shield and Bursary of £100 for a promising young brass competitor.

The Robert J Lacey Memorial Plate for a promising young brass competitor was awarded to Tess Cullen of Millom. In the open classes several competitors gave performances which merited a distinction and MKS Brass Collective were awarded a mark of 90 for an outstanding performance. The Dr Fred Yeadon Cup and Bursary was awarded to Simon James McCullough.

Holborn Hill Royal Brass Band - Schools Section won The Rotary Club of Ulverston Shield and Bursary for Junior Brass Bands.

Kathryn McCullough, Dalton Town Band, received the James M Fryer Memorial Shield for the best solo in the brass band classes.

Meanwhile, top outfit Burneside Brass also hit all the right notes winning the general section Entertainment Class, and the Brass Band Competition.

Mark Wilkinson returned to the festival as adjudicator. He was very complimentary on the standard of playing and thanked all the teachers involved for their encouragement of local young players.

Monday was Speech Day with Carol Schroder as adjudicator. Classes included poetry, prepared reading, bible reading, and acted dramatisations with good standards of performance during the day.

The Patrick Croskery Award for Meritorious speech was awarded to Connor O'Hara of Ulverston; the Barrow Soroptomists Shield and Bursary of £50 to Mathilda Kenny of Ulverston, and Grange-over-Sands' Libby Woods landed the Julie Willis Bursary of £50.

Dalton St Mary's Performing Arts Club was commended for their choric and choral speaking performances.

Tuesday's adjudicator was John Gough, starting the day with music making classes. He said he was very impressed with the standard of playing which reflected the marks awarded. The groups played well together and had a good command of their instruments

There were three entrants and all received distinctions. Haverigg School Year 6 came first for their performance of Sa Trincha, and Haverigg School Year 5, performing Si, Si, Si shared second place, with Chetwynde Junior School Guitars, playing a selection of traditional music arranged by Cracknell. In the percussion class, St James' Hand Chimes, Barrow, received a distinction for their rendition of Bach's Minuet in D.

The standard of play in the pianoforte classes was consistently high - the lowest mark was 82 (merit) and the highest 88 (distinction). Sanjana Singh received the Douglas Poulter Memorial Shield and Bursary; the Julie Wills Piano Bursary was awarded to Edmund Hui.

The Peter Gray Memorial Shield and Bursary was awarded to Chloe Lauren Martin of Kendal.

Peter Wild of Preston received the Martin Tonge Rosebowl.

SCMF chairman, Keith Butcher, said the festival got off to a great start. He added: "There were some exceptional brass playing in the solo classes, particularly from ensemble groups, which is encouraging for the well-being of the brass competition. We're looking forward to the rest of the week continuing the same high standard. As usual the festival will end with Gala Night on Saturday (7.30pm), showcasing the festival winners of the week, together with local talent.”

Tickets for Gala Evening are available from the Festival Office at the Coronation Hall, telephone 0777-340-3686.

The festival winners so far...

Sunday Brass

Novice solos - Dunlop Cup. Up to Year 6: 1 Tess Cullen, 2 Macy Bradley, 3 Holly Clunie. Solos - SCMF Hartman Award. Up to Year 6: 1 Holly Clunie, 2 Macy Bradley. Duet - SCMF Award. Up to Year 9: 1 Simone Clarke and Holly Knowles, 2 Nicholas Kitchingman and Ethan Powell. Novice solo - SCMF Arban Award. Years 7-9: 1 Ethan Powell. Solo- SCMF Ball Award. Years 7-9: 1 Holly Knowles, 2 Nicholas Kitchingman, 3 Connor O'Hara. Novice solo - SCMF Round Award. Years 10-13: 1 Abigail Stanway. Solo - Walter Pennington Shield. Years 7-9: 1 Connor O'Hara. Solo - Clarry Dunlop Shield. years 7-9: 1 Simone Clarke, 2 Connor O'Hara, 3 Nicholas Kitchingman. Solo - Jack Manning Pewter Cup. Years 10-13: 1 Abigail Stanway. Solo - Brian Judge Shield. Years 10-13: Jodie Bland. Solo - Flookburgh Band Pewter Cup. Years 10-13: Abigail Stanway. Junior ensemble - Vickers Shield. 3 or more players /max 12: 1 Dalton Town Junior Band, 2 Holborn Hill Royal Brass Band Junior Ensemble, 3 St Bernard's Ensemble. Solo - Howard Olds Shield. Open:1 Simon James McCullough, 2 Jeffrey Bailey. Solo - Robert Latimer Cup. Open: 1 Simon James McCullogh, 2 Jeffrey Bailey, 3= Martin Ivison, Catherine Clarke. Solo - Harold McEneney Shield. Open: 1 Catherine Clarke, 2 Simon James McCullough, 3 Jeffrey Bailey. Solo - Ulverston Town Junior Band Shield. Open: 1 Jeffrey Bailey. Duet - Two Hornby Shields. Any age: 1 Catherine Clarke and Jody McQuistan, 2 Abigail Stanway and Anna Merrell, 3 Sam Huddleston and Scott Barker. Ensemble - Lonsdale Brass Band Shield. 3 or more players/max 12: 1 MKS Brass Collective, 2 Chetwynde Brass. Junior Brass Bands - Rotary Club of Ulverston Bursary and Shield: 1 Holborn Hill Royal Brass Band Schools Section, 2 St Bernard's Brass Band, 3 St Pius X Brass Band. Brass Band 'Entertainment' Class - J W Latimer Cup: 1 Holborn Hill Royal Brass Band Juniors, 2 Dalton Town Band, 3 South Cumbrian Retirement Band. Brass Bands - Ulverston Town Band Shield: 1 South Cumbrian Retirement Band, 2 Dalton Town Band. Brass Band 'Entertainment' Class - Oxley Developments Cup: 1 Burneside Brass. Brass Bands - Kimberly-Clark Champion Shield: 1 Burneside Brass, 2 Flookburgh Band. Robert J Lacey Memorial Plate: Tess Cullen. Kimberly-Clark Shield and Bursary for Young Brass Instrumentalist: Connor O'Hara. Dr Fred Yeadon Cup and Bursary: Simon James McCullogh. Rotary Club of Ulverston Shield and Award for Junior Brass Band: Holborn Hill Royal Brass Band Schools Section. Kimberly-Clark Awards for Senior Brass Bands - 4th Section and Unregistered: South Cumbrian Retirement Band. Kimberly-Clark Awards for Senior Brass Bands - 3rd Section and above: Burneside Brass. James M Fryer Memorial Shield: Kathryn McCullough.

Monday - Speech

Poetry - Up to Year 2, Windermere Shield: 1 Nishanth Arun, 2 Logan Fitzgerald; 3= Alicja Cieplinska, Isla Smith. Yr 3, First Advertiser Shield: 1 Holly Heffernan; 2= Iona Harvey, Holly Dennett; 3= Jake Griffiths, Elena Warner. Yr 4, SCMF Mini Langdale Cup: 1 Thomas Nussbaum-Richman; 2 Holly Clunie; 3 Fraser Stilling. Yr 5, SCMF Buttermere Shield: 1 Dylan Kenny; 2 Shubham Kukreti; 3= Freya Ashcroft, Alysia Byrne. Yr 7-9, SCMF Keats Award: 1 Lois Morrell; 2 Connor O’Hara; 3 Jack Roberts. Yrs 10-13, SCMF Byron Award: 1 Max Mur. Write and Recite - Up to Yr 6, Bill Shaw Great Cable Cup: 1, Mia Griffiths; 2= Ethan Smith, Matthew Brock. Yrs 7-9, Bill Shaw Helvellyn Cup: 1 Connor O’Hara. Prepared Bible Reading - Up to Yr 6, Miriam Townson Trophy: 1 Subhash Chatterjee; 2 Adrian Lee Cheong; 3 Heath Allonson. Yrs 7-9, SCMF Fluted Cup: 1 Adam Kirby. Acted Dramatisation (single character) - Up to Yr 6, SCMF Ullswater Shield: 1 Willow Fenna; 2 Rose Allonson. Yrs 7-9, SCMF Robson Award: 1 Mathilda Kenny; 2 Connor O’Hara; 3 Lauren Albery. Yrs 10-13, SCMF Evans Award: 1 Mili Rich. Prepared Reading - Up to Yr 6, New Westmorland Gazette Shield: 1 Libby Woods; 2 Jasmine Newby; 3 Lydia Hetherington. Yrs 7-9, Bronte Award: 1 Mathilda Kenny; 2 Connor O’Hara; 3= Adam Kirby, Jack Roberts. Shakespeare Class -Yrs 7-9, SCMF Award: 1 Connor O’Hara; 2 Mathilda Kenny; 3 Cecilia Card. Yrs 10-13, SCMF Tennyson Award: 1 Mili Rich; 2 Max Muir; 3 Laura Wildgoose. Choral Speaking - Up to Yr 6, Heather J Stenhouse Shield and Barbara Wrigley Cup: 1x Dalton St. Mary’s Performing Arts Club. Cups and Trophies - Patrick Croskery Trophy for Meritorious Speech: Connor O’Hara. The Julie Wills Speech Bursary: Libby Woods. Barrow Soroptimists Shield and Bursary for Speech: Mathilda Kenny.

Tuesday - Music Making and Piano

Music Making (3 or more players) - Up to Yr 6, William and Dora Jenkinson Cup: 1 Haverigg Primary School (Yr 6); 2= Haverigg Primary School (Yr 5), Chetwynde Junior School Guitars. Percussion - any age, soloist or group, Terry Turner Shield: 1 St. James Hand Chimes. Novice Piano Solo - Up to Yr 3, Sutton Shield: 1 Sean Kerr. Yrs 4-6, Hamer Shield: 1 Sanjana Singh; 2 Holly Stephenson; 3 Andrew Bell. Yrs 7-9, Muriel Dixon Shield: 1 Connor O’Hara; 2 Grace Ashcroft; 3 Eleanor O’Neill. Piano Solo - Up to Yr 3, Iris Henry Award: 1 Edwin Hui; 2 Sean Kerr. Yrs 4-6, Harlyn Shield: 1 Edmund Hui; 2 Edwin Hui; 3=Natasha McQuire; Eloise Ozanne. Yrs 7-9, The Burnsmead Shield: 1 Lawrence Diffey; 2 Iona Lee; 3 Emily Anne White. Yrs 7-9, Lyric Cup: 1 Chloe Lauren; 2 Connor O’Hara; 3= Thomas Clayton, Isabella Philipson. Yrs 10-13, Dryden Cup: 1 Max Muir; 2 Olivia Smith. Yrs 10-13, Lisa Parkes Shield: 1 Emma Gittins. Yr 18, Don Usher Cup: 1 Peter Wild; 2 Stephen Eccles. Open - Mable Dewar Shield: 1 Peter Wild; 2 Fiona Butcher; 3 Stephen Eccles. Open, Clair Bonner Shield: 1 Peter Wild; 2 Stephen Eccles. 20/21st century music (from 1900) - Yrs 4-6, Liz Waller Cup: 1 Edmund Hui; 2 Erica Nicklin; 3 Edwin Hui. Yrs 7-9, Mable Hargreaves Cup: 1 Chloe Lauren; 2 Lawrence Diffey; 3 Isabella Philipson. Yrs 10-13, Margaret Rizzi Cup: 1 Olivia Smith. Classical and romantic (between 1750-1900) - Yrs 4-6, Vera Wall Memorial Shield: 1 Edmund Hui; 2 Natasha McQuire; 3 Ethan Pimentel. Yrs 7-9, Gertrude H Leach Shield: 1 Chloe Lauren Martin; 2 Connor O’Hara; 3 Jack Spencer. Yrs 10-13, Harold Petersen Lidded Cup: 1 Mili Rich; 2 Olivia Smith; 3 Max Muir. Baroque, (between 1600-1750), Up to Yr 13, Marion Pearson Cup: 1 Olivia Smith; 2 Emma Gittins. Duet/Trio for one piano - Yrs 4-6, Cristofori Plaques: 1 Edmund Hui, Edwin Hui; 2 Erica Nicklin, Gillian Wells; 3 Hannah Burton, Thea Docker. Yrs 7-13, Broadwood Plaques: 1 Eleanor O’Neill, Alys Deakin. Cups and Trophies. The Douglas Poulter Memorial Shield and Bursary for piano: Sanjana Singh. The Julie Wills Piano Bursary: Edmund Hui. The Peter Gray Memorial Shield and Bursary for piano: Chloe Lauren Martin. The Martyn Tonge Rosebowl: Peter Wild.