From the Festival Director – Philip Walsh

Festival Director's jottings on the 2011 Festival     The Nineteenth Penwortham Youth Music Festival       Monday 28th February to Sunday 6th March 2011 Well what a great festival we have just had with many new choirs, ensembles and individuals taking part for the first time!  I’m so pleased that our local schools have choirs and bands and that they manage to fit into their curriculum the time to teach music and then bring them up to a standard worthy of presenting before an audience and adjudicator. Well done to all the staff involved! With five choirs performing, the demand for tickets on the Tuesday, meant that we had to move the primary school choir classes to St. Mary’s RC Church in Leyland. This was the first time the festival has left Penwortham, but the venue “in the round” was perfect for our needs. At least we remained in the borough of South Ribble! We had seven choirs performing for the first time this year; Brindle Gregson Lane Primary; Burscough Village Primary; St. Mary and St. Andrew’s Catholic Primary, Barton; Walton-le-Dale Primary; Westwood Primary; Ormskirk Asmall Primary; Hutton Grammar School Girls; while it was nice to welcome back, Cardinal Newman College; Park School, Blackpool; Moor Hey School, Lostock Hall; Middleforth CE Primary School; St. Oswald’s RC Primary School; Longton Primary and Lostock Hall Community Primary School. We also welcomed Ormskirk Asmall Primary School Band and two new groups from Park School, Blackpool. Over the six days, almost 500 children performed before audiences of over 400 parents, friends and relations. The children represented 31 senior, primary and special schools, mainly from the Preston, South Ribble, Chorley and West Lancashire areas but also from Bolton, Blackpool and Lancaster We continued our Gilbert and Sullivan workshops in schools in association with Marton Operatic Society and this year we went into St. Oswald’s RC Primary School, Penwortham and taught “The Pirates of Penzance” to 31 pupils. In an hour and half, they had performed a show! If your school is interested in Gilbert and Sullivan Workshops, please get in touch with the Festival Director. Arrangements are well advanced for the Young Musician of Preston Guild in 2012. The competition is being organised by a Sub-Committee of the Harris Charity and I am pleased to have been asked to be a member to help stage this prestigious competition. There will be classes for Brass, Woodwind, Strings, Pianoforte and Percussion and for Secondary School and Youth choirs and Primary School and Children’s Choirs. The Grand Final for the Young Musician will be held in the Guild Hall on 7 July 2012. For the Young Musician competition, competitors will need to be under 21 years and have attained Grade 6 in examinations. Choir entries are limited to groups within an 11 mile radius of Preston Town Hall and with a PR postcode.  The Choirs Final will be held in the Guild Hall on Saturday 28 April 2012. Closing dates for individuals is 31 July 2011 and for choirs 30 September 2011. Full details, including dates of qualifying rounds can be found here. On behalf of the Committee, may I thank our adjudicators, stewards and teachers for giving of their time for the benefit of the young musicians. Thank you also to Penwortham Town Council and the Harris Charity for their generous sponsorship. Philip Walsh Festival Director The following schools were represented Abbey Village Primary School All Hallows RC High School, Penwortham Balshaw’s High School, Leyland Bolton School Bretherton Endowed School Brindle Gregson Lane Primary School * Burscough Village Primary School * Cardinal Newman College, Preston * Fulwood Academy Hutton Grammar School * Kirkham Grammar School Holy Cross High School, Chorley Lancaster Grammar School Longton Primary School * Lostock Hall Community Primary School * Middleforth Primary School, Penwortham * Moor Hey School, Lostock Hall * Moss Side Primary School, Leyland Ormskirk Asmall Primary School * Park School, Blackpool * Parklands High School, Chorley Priory Sports and Technology College, Penwortham Runshaw College, Leyland St. Clare’s RC Primary School, Fulwood St. Mary & St. Andrew Catholic Primary School, Barton* St. Michael’s CE High School, Chorley St. Oswald’s RC Primary School, Longton * St. Peter’s Primary School, Chorley Walton-le-Dale Primary School* Westwood Primary School* Whitefield Primary School, Penwortham * Choir or Band took part

The 19th Penwortham Youth Music Festival 2011 List of Prizewinners
Class 1                              SENIOR SCHOOL AND YOUTH CHOIRS
The Penwortham Town Council Trophy
1st	Cardinal Newman College Choir
2nd	Hutton Grammar School Girls Choir
3rd	Hutton Grammar School Mixed Choir
Class 2                                     SOLO SINGING (11-13 years)
The Walsh Trophy
1st	Oscar Lingard	Lancaster Royal Grammar School
2nd	Thomas Nelson	All Hallows RC High School
3rd	Caitlin Green	Priory Sports and Technology College
Class 3                                SOLO SINGING (14-18 years)
The Wrigley Trophy
1st	Kingsley Judd
2nd	Emily Butterfield	Cardinal Newman College
3rd	Jodie Cartwright	Priory Sports and Technology College
Commended	Kirstin Bunce	All Hallows RC High School
Merit	Tonicha Jackson	Priory Sports and Technology College
Merit	Stephen Wadge	Runshaw College
Class 4                      GILBERT AND SULLIVAN OPERA (8 -18YRS)
The Bevis Walters Trophy
1st	Kingsley Judd
2nd	Caitlin Green	Priory Sports and Technology College
3rd	Isobel Hindle	Fulwood Academy
Commended	Kirstin Bunce	All Hallows RC High School
Commended	Jodie Cartwright	Priory Sports and Technology College
Class 5                    PRIMARY SCHOOL and CHILDREN’S CHOIRS
The Musker Trophy
1st	St. Oswald’s RC Junior Choir, Longton
2nd	Burscough Village Primary School Choir
3rd	Brindle Gregson Lane Primary School Choir
Merit	Walton-le-Dale Primary School Choir
Merit	Westwood Primary School Choir, Whittle–Le-Woods
Class 7                       PRIMARY SOLO SINGING (9-11 years)
The St. Leonard’s Trophy
1st	Daisy Finnigan	St. Oswald’s RC Primary School, Longton
2nd	Eve Varey	St. Oswald’s RC Primary School, Longton
3rd	Elizabeth Tingle	St. Oswald’s RC Primary School, Longton
	Ellen Grice	Burscough Village Primary School
Merit	Emily Atack	Westwood Primary School, Whittle-le-Woods
Merit	Robyn Davies	St. Oswald’s RC Primary School, Longton
Merit	Elliss Halton	Burscough Village Primary School
Merit	Ellie Sutton	St. Oswald’s RC Primary School, Longton
Merit	Emily Thompson	St. Clare’s RC Primary School, Fulwood
Merit	Jemima Thomson	St. Clare’s RC Primary School, Fulwood
Class 8          PRIMARY SCHOOL CHOIRS  - NON-COMPETITIVE CLASS
Taking part were:
	Longton Primary School Choir
	Lostock Hall Community Primary School
	Middleforth CE Primary School Choir
	Ormskirk, Asmall Primary School Choir
	St. Mary and St. Andrew Catholic Primary School, Barton
Class 10                      PRIMARY INSTRUMENTAL DUET OR TRIO
The Earnshaw Memorial Trophy
1st	Emily & Jemima Thompson               Clarinet & Flute	St. Clare’s RC Primary School, Fulwood
2nd	James Guy & Joshua Briant                            Cornets	St. Oswald’s RC Primary School, Longton
Class 11                     PRIMARY INSTRUMENTAL ENSEMBLES
The St. Leonard’s Gilbert and Sullivan Group Trophy
1st	Ormskirk Asmall Primary Brass Band
Class 22                                   PIANOFORTE SOLO
1st	Naadiya Mohmammed	Bolton School
Joint 2nd	Oscar Lingard	Lancaster Royal Grammar School
"     "	George Speak	Bolton School
3rd	Joseph Thompson	St. Clare’s RC Primary School, Fulwood
Class 23                                   PIANOFORTE SOLO
1st	Liam Kitchen	Priory Sports & Tech. College, Penwortham
2nd	Jemima Thompson	St. Clare’s RC Primary School, Fulwood
3rd	Alec Woods	Abbey Village Primary School
Class 24                                   PIANOFORTE SOLO
1st	Abhinav Kumar	Bolton School
2nd	Jonson Chan	Lancaster Royal Grammar School
3rd	Emily Thompson	St. Clare’s RC Primary School, Fulwood
Class 25                                   PIANOFORTE SOLO
1st	Alexander Roocroft	St. Michael’s CE High School, Chorley
2nd	Andrew Clelland	Bolton School
3rd	Orla Green	Balshaws CE School, Leyland
Class 27                  INSTRUMENTAL SOLO – BRASS – (Beginner)
1st	Joseph Thompson	St. Clare’s RC Primary School, Fulwood
Class 28                    INSTRUMENTAL SOLO – BRASS – (Junior)
1st	George Speak	Bolton School
Class 29               INSTRUMENTAL SOLO – BRASS – (Intermediate)
1st	Oscar Lingard	Lancaster Royal Grammar School
Class 30                   INSTRUMENTAL SOLO – BRASS – (Senior)
1st	Charlotte Roocroft	Cardinal Newman College
Class 33                INSTRUMENTAL SOLO – WOODWIND – (Junior)
1st	Erin McLernon	Longton Primary School
2nd	Rebecca Leighton	St.Peter’s CE Primary, Chorley
Class 34           INSTRUMENTAL SOLO – WOODWIND – (Intermediate)
1st	Jennifer Mary Alcroft	Holy Cross RC High Sch. Chorley
2nd	Abigail Sutcliffe	Penwortham Girls’ High School
3rd	Emily Thompson	St. Clare’s RC Primary School, Fulwood
Class 35               INSTRUMENTAL SOLO – WOODWIND – (Senior)
1st	Charlotte Keen	All Hallows RC High School, Penwortham
The Music Cellar Trophy for Best Pianoforte Performance      Alexander Roocroft
Dark Trophy for Best Instrumental Performance                      Alexander Roocroft
Class 38                            SPECIAL SCHOOL CHOIRS
The Shephard Trophy
1st	Park School Choir, Blackpool
2nd	Moor Hey School, Lostock Hall
Class 39                SPECIAL SCHOOL INSTRUMENTAL ENSEMBLES
The Harris Charity Trophy
1st	Park School Band, Blackpool
2nd	Park School Ensemble, Blackpool
3rd	Park School Ukulele Group, Blackpool
Henderson Trophy for Best Performance (Special Needs)
	Emma Watkis	Moor Hey School