Grantham Music Festival shines with more than 1,000 talented performers

It has been a spectacular year at the Grantham Music Festival with over 1,000 performers, including the non-competitive primary school groups, taking part.

Adjudicator Nadia Hinson has been really impressed by the high standard of musicians in our town. Congratulations must go not only to all the performers, but also to the teachers and schools who have worked throughout the year to produce such exceptional standards. Festival organisers say they are very grateful to the official accompanists, Sally Anthony and Rowan Cozens, for their hard work during the event, and for their support and encouragement of the young musicians.

The festival opened on Wednesday with an afternoon of primary school music making which saw ten local schools sharing their performances with each other. The competitive classes followed and consisted of a wide variety of instrumental solos, duets, ensembles and choirs, vocal solos and groups. The festival committee thanks all the competitors, teachers, schools, parents and family support networks, without whom this festival would not be possible.

Numerous trophies for outstanding performances have been awarded throughout the week and these will be presented to the winners by clarinettist Oliver Pashley – a former festival performer and trophy winner himself who is now a professional musician – at the Trophy Winners Concert on Saturday, March 17, at 7pm in Christchurch.

The concert is open to the public (entry is £3 payable on the door). The festival’s chairman, Laura Gardiner, said: “Given the amazing standards the festival has seen this year, this concert is set to be a really unmissable event.”