St Mary's Calne
The Cecilia James Company Music Festival and Company Shout 2023 proved to be a splendid event again this year, with a day full of amazing music making. This year we welcomed Andrea Charles, from the Royal College of Londond, as our adjudicator. Andrea is an experienced flute teacher and performer based in Surrey and the London area.
The day began with the Rock and Pop class - and what a great start it was with a mixture of drums and singing of a high standard. Osmund triumphed with Mia (LVI) and her impressive performance of Toxicity by System of a Down.
The Voice category proved a very difficult class to adjudicate with first rate performances from everyone, in such a diverse selection of repertoire. Osmund continued their winning streak as Katie (UVI) won with her serene Pie Jesu.
The next class was a new addition this year, called Mini’s, for ‘Minority Instruments’, in other words the more unusual instruments of which we currently have a shortage. We had representatives flying the flag for trombone, harp, double bass and french horn. Osmund won for a third time with Haylie (LV) playing Fauré’s beautiful Elegie on the cello.
The morning classes were concluded with Woodwind. We heard fantastic performances on three flutes, clarinet and saxophone. Some lovely playing from all which resulted in Charmaine (UVI) as the winner of this category, playing an engaging sonata for Grosstête.
Considering there have only been four weeks to prepare, the Instrumental ensembles did a great job using the interesting combinations of instruments at their disposal. On this occasion Ed Rich won, with Come on Eileen, a throwback from the 1980s by Dexy’s Midnight Runners. The adjudicator praised them for the ability of each of their instrumentalists to play interesting and independent parts.
Vocal ensembles followed, with some performances perhaps displaying more emphasis on comedy than harmony! The winning ensemble were Moberly, with their version of Blinded by Your Grace, they won due to their commitment to the brief given, resulting in some beautiful blending of voices and simple, yet effective harmony.
The final two solo classes were Strings and Woodwind. This year, the String class offered all violin performances and the competition was extremely high, with five amazing performances showing so much potential, any of whom would have been worthy winners. Moberly was victorious with Lily (UIV) playing Kreisler’s Prelude and Allegro, a devilishly difficult and virtuosic piece. Our gifted pianists also displayed their huge talents, transporting us to a variety of sound worlds. It was Jina (LV) who was successful in the piano class for Poore, winning the Anna Roberts Cup.
Congratulations to everyone who took part. The standard of musicianship was outstanding!
Mrs Rachel Allard, Singing Teacher and Co-ordinator of the Cecilia James Music Festival