Harrogate Competitive Festival for Music, Speech and Drama – First Weekend

The first weekend of the Festival went really well despite very adverse weather conditions. The Festival Committee and its Trustees considered the situation at great length on Thursday but concluded that, if appropriate warnings were given to performers and volunteers beforehand they could make their own decisions about whether or not to travel. Although some chose to give it a miss, most of those scheduled to perform did actually do so. The Harrogate High School caretaking staff did a sterling job of clearing paths and car parks at short notice. We couldn’t have done it without them.

Almost 100 classes were held, commencing on Friday evening with the Open Novice Woodwind Ensemble (winners the Dragon Sunday Winds) and in a different room the Acted Scene for age 16 & over (winners Katherine Hooper & Caitlin McKenna). Some of the finalists in the Young Musician of the Festival Competition have been identified: Saxophonist Olivia Robinson (winner of the Ernest Hopper Trophy) , pianist Yuan Xu (winner of the Piano Solo Championship) and violinist William Clarke (winner of the String Solo competition).

Over 350 certificates were prepared and handed out including 4 to Year 6 & under performer Annabel Baxter, who, performing possibly well after her usual bedtime, very ably demonstrated what an expert can do on a treble recorder. More good stuff to come next week.

The weekend’s results are:

 

Solo Acting: Age 12 & 13: Flossie Attwood, Knaresborough; Age 14 & 15: Emily Belcher, Knaresborough; Age 16 & over: Charlotte Barnard, Knaresborough; Solo Acting - Shakespeare: Age 16 & over: Harry Howells, Knaresborough; Acted Scene: Age 11 & under: Eloise Abraham and Luciana Raw, Harrogate; Age 13 & under: Scarlett Watson and Molly Metheringham, Knaresborough; Age 16 & over: Katherine Hooper and Caitlin McKenna, Knaresborough; Group Drama: Age 11 & under: ACTAcademy UK, Harrogate; Age 15 & under: ACTAcademy UK, Harrogate; Age 19 & under: KSSD Saturday Seniors, Knaresborough; Concerto Class: Year 13 & under: Ben Messenger, York; Chamber Class: Open: ‘Colin's Crew’ Woodwind Ensembler, Harrogate; Entertainment Class: Age 13 to 15: Molly Metheringham, Knaresborough; Age 16 & over: Vicky Graham, Knaresborough; Lever Harp Elementary: Grades 1-3: Naila Krisnamoorthy, Saltburn-by-the-Sea; Lever Harp: Grades 4 - 5: Nicole Stella Jessop, Holmfirth; Lever Harp Advanced: Grade 6 & over: Iris Greaney, Cottingham; Pedal Harp: Grades 4-5: Nicole Stella Jessop, Holmfirth; Pedal Harp Advanced: Grade 6 & over: Megan Humphries, Nr. Ripon; Harp Duet: Open: Elspeth Cox and Hettie Cox, Cottingham; Harp Ensemble: Open: The Sharpists, Cottingham; Solo from a Show, Film or Musical: Year 8 - Boys & Girls: Flossie Attwood, Wetherby; Year 11 - Boys & Girls: Evangeline Barnby, Hull; Musical Theatre: Age 12 & under: ACTAcademy UK, Harrogate; Age 15 & under: ACTAcademy UK, Harrogate; Year 5 & under: Phoebe Burgess, York; Year 6 & under: Leon Zhuang, Harrogate; Year 7 & under: Krish Desha-Beerachee, Harrogate; Year 8 & under: Krish Desha-Beerachee, Harrogate; Year 9 & under: Robert Kidd, Harrogate; Year 9 & under: Tommy Sun, Harrogate; Year 10 & under: Emma Moore, Harrogate; Year 13 & under: Alexander Abrahams, Ripon; Open: Yuan Xu, Harrogate; Piano Solo Championship: play-off: Yuan Xu, Harrogate; Sonata Class: Open: Yuan Xu, Harrogate; Bach Prelude & Fugue Class: Open: Jennifer Edwards, Leeds; Chopin Class: Open: Emma Johnson, Leeds; Twentieth Century Class: Open: Tinker Chen, Harrogate; Piano Duet: Year 6 & under: Piper Golub and Aria Bradley, Harrogate; Year 9 & under: Krish Desha-Beerachee and Sanjitha Ganesh, Harrogate; Piano Trio: Year 6 & under: James Wood, George Rumsey and Edward Rumsey, Harrogate; Descant Recorder Solo: Year 6 & under: Gwen Hesford, Harrogate; Treble Recorder Solo: Year 6 & under: Annabel Baxter, Harrogate; Descant or Treble Recorder Solo: Grade 5 or 6: Annabel Baxter, Harrogate; Grade 7 or 8: Rosella Pinckney, York; Recorder Duet: Year 6 & under: Dynamic Duo!, Harrogate; Recorder Group: Year 6 & under: Starbeck School Recorder Group, Harrogate; Prepared Reading: Age 12 & 13: Aryan Girish, Leeds; Age 14 & 15: Annalisa Bergen, Leeds; Age 16 & over: Katherine Hooper, Knaresborough; A Talk on any subject: Age 11 & over: Izy Peat, Leeds; Performing Text: Age 13 & under: Kendra Dresser, Leeds; Speech & Drama Championship Class: : Vicky Graham, Knaresborough; String Solo: Grades 1 & 2: Phoebe Burgess, York; Grade 3: Sophia Rueschemeyer, York; Grades 4 & 5: Holly Clark, York; Grade 6: Yiyang Xu, York; Grades 7 & 8: Isabella Watson, York; Open: William Clark, York; String Duet, Trio or Quartet: Open: Yilin Xu and Yiyang Xu, York; Thomas Trophy Competition: : William Clark, York; Ukulele Solo: Year 10 & under: William Smith-McShee, Harrogate; Classical Guitar: Year 6 & under: Leo Mountain, Bradford; Year 9 & under: Tej Singh, Bradford; Open: Craig Bonnar, Bradford; Classical Guitar Ensemble: Year 13 & under: Moorlands Duo, Bradford; Verse Speaking: Age 12 & 13: Scarlett Watson, Knaresborough; Age 14 & 15: Emily Belcher, Knaresborough; Age 16 & over: Harry Howells, Knaresborough; Sonnet Class: Age 13 to 15: Leah Osborn, Knaresborough; Age 16 & over: Katherine Hooper, Knaresborough; Group Speaking: Age 14 & under: ACTAcademy UK, Harrogate; Age 19 & under: KSSD Tuesday New Seniors, Knaresborough; The Elizabeth Hopkins Trophy: Virtuoso Class: Olivia Robinson, York; Flute Solo: Grade 1 or 2: Sophie Rees, Harrogate; Grade 3 or 4: Megan Turner, Harrogate; Grade 5 or 6: Amelie Coyle, Harrogate; Grade 7 or 8: Katie Anderson, Harrogate; Oboe or Bassoon Solo: Grade 7 or 8: Isabelle Scott, Wetherby; Clarinet Solo: Grade 1 or 2: Krish Desha-Beerachee, Harrogate; Grade 5 or 6: Rachael Green, York; Saxophone Solo E flat and B flat: Grade 1 or 2: Stephanie Connell, Harrogate; Grade 5 or 6: Elliott Shaw, Wetherby; Saxophone Solo: Grade 7 or 8: Olivia Robinson, York; Novice Improvers Woodwind Class: Open - Grades 5-6: Heather Hart, Harrogate; Woodwind Solo: Open: Emily Watson-Breeze, York; Christopher Richmond Trophy Competition: : Rachael Green, York; Ernest Hopper Trophy Competition: : Olivia Robinson, York; Woodwind Duet, Trio or Quartet: Year 6 & under: Annabel Baxter and Amelie Coyle, Harrogate; Woodwind Duet, Trio or Quartet: Year 8 & under: Megan Turner and Beatrice Nolan, Harrogate; Year 10 & under: Allison Hennessy and Harriet Swift, Harrogate; Year 13 & under: Rossett School Saxophone Quartet, Harrogate; Woodwind Group: Year 10 & under: Harrogate Ladies'College Woodwind Ensemble, Harrogate; Year 13 & under: Rossett School Saxophonix, Harrogate;Novice Woodwind Ensemble: Open: Dragon Sunday Winds, Harrogate;