Kids dazzle at Music Festival

JOHN BABB

YESTERDAY Queen’s Hall was abuzz as school children took over in presence, song and vitality to test the atmosphere and the adjudicator, as judging of the Primary School Choirs (girls, boys or mixed) got underway.

There was little doubt that there is some upcoming for replacement of adults, whose presence and performance keep sliding away. In time, the change will occur. The morning session opened with the test piece - The Boll Weevil arranged by Harry Dexter. The children seemed to love that test piece.

Prior to yesterday’s judging of the school choirs, much attention was drawn by the adjudicator Dorothy Howden, who had some titbits of advice for the adults who performed.

In the class for Contemporary Religious Music Choirs with over 20 singers, who were given a free hand to sing their own choice in four minutes, winners were USC Chorale with 90 marks; CT Singers were second with 89 marks and St Mary’s Chorale placed third with 88 marks.

Only the first place winners can enter the finals on February 26, starting at 1.30 pm. In the Tenor Solo, Class A4, in which the singers had to handle a test piece, In the Silence of the Night by Sergei Rachmaninoff, Jamel Williams came out on top with 87 marks, followed by Kory Mendez, 86 marks and Hayden Cornelius with 84.

In Class B6 - Ladies Vocal Quartet, the test piece Bring a Torch neither of the two contestants, APA Ladies Quartet and Lydians Ladies Quartet B, each having got 84 marks, advanced to the finals. In Class D4 - Piano Recital -- own choice -- Jason Lawrence scored 86 marks.

Class C3 for Primary or Secondary Schools (Girls 15 years and under) the test piece was Where do the Stars go? by Sherri Porterfield.

That class was won by Bishop Anstey Junior Choir who got 90 marks. Sacred Heart Girls RC placed second with 89 points and Dunross Girls Choir came third with 87 marks.

In Class 10 - Folk Song Solo (Boy or Girl) 19 years and under, participants sang their own choice and Makayla Brito topped the field with 88 marks; Shakara La Foucade got 87 marks for second and Kayleigh Forde placed third with 86 marks.

In Class B1 - Boys Treble Duet, there was the test piece Dance with the Elephants by Joan Varner. This class was won by Jayden Camps and Zakary Assam. They polled 89 marks. Khadell Campbell and Andall Dolly got 88, while Liam Joseph and Aodhan Nawton achieved 87 marks. Class B 1 - Ladies Vocal Duet saw the test piece being Mendelssohn’s “Greetings”. Arielle Pierre and Tehilla Jones won this class with 88 marks. The Festival continues today.