A GIRL of 11, who showed her versatility at everything from piano playing to mime, was declared the best young performer at Devizes Junior Eisteddfod.
Beatrice Watts, a pupil at St Margaret’s in Calne, was the winner of the William Dauntesey Cup, but will not receive her award until November 29, when two festival concerts are held.
For the first time this year, a prize-winners’ concert was not held at the end of the two days of contest on Saturday. Instead, the new concerts will be a feature in their own right.
Other St Margaret’s pupils will also be in the limelight on November 29, as the school won the Cup for the best group or school performance.
It will perform at the junior festival concert at 3pm before receiving the trophy.
St Margaret’s head Karen Cordon said: “We are delighted to support the Eisteddfod once again this year and feel very proud of all the children’s achievements, which recognise the hard work that both they and their teachers have put in.”
The Giles Chivers Cup for the best senior performance and the James Oram Cup for versatility went to Joel Munday, 14, who travels from his home in Devon every week for specialist teaching in Seend.
Katherine Stonham, 15, a pupil at John of Gaunt, Trowbridge, was declared the most inspirational solo performer and took the First Stages Award.
Eisteddfod director Michael Johnson said the 68th event – held on Friday and Saturday last week – was one of the most successful in its history. More than 1,000 young people took part in a range of music and arts events at five venues in the town.
He said: “I was delighted that so many of the new initiatives introduced this year paid off.
“We still have more to do to make this one of the very best competitive festivals in Britain, but the event is developing so rapidly now that I am sure we will become even better-known in the years to come. We have a magnificent small team who manage the event of which I am extremely proud.”
He thanked Devizes Town Council and several churches for use of their facilities and businesses for their support.
The junior festival concert is at 3pm on November 29 and the senior concert at 7pm, both at Devizes Town Hall.
Award winners:
Piano
ANN LAKE CUP
Piano Solo Lung-Yee Ip
DJE AWARD
Piano Solo – up to Grade 3 Charles Godfrey-Faussett
DJE AWARD
Piano Solo – Grade 4 and above Florence Tuckey
DJE CUP Piano Solo Repertoire Carmen Wing
DJE CUP Piano Solo Recital Joel Munday
GAPPER CUP Piano Duet or Trio Hannah & Joel Munday
DJE CONCERTO CUP
Piano Concerto
Katherine Stonham
Strings
MICHAEL OLIVER CUP
String Solo Eliza Munday
DJE CUP String
Solo Repertoire Joel Munday
JEAN YOCKNEY CUP String Duet
Katherine & Rachel Stonham
WEST WILTSHIRE MUSIC CUP String Concerto Katherine Stonham
CLASSICAL GUITAR
ABH CUP Classical Guitar Solo Freya Punton
RECORDERS
WALTER BERGMANN CUP Recorder Solo Phoebe Wirick
RAY SMITH CUP Recorder Duet/Group St Margaret’s Recorder Ensemble
WOODWIND
JOHN PROSSER ROSE BOWL Woodwind Solo Luke Passmore
DJE CUP Woodwind Solo Repertoire Madeleine Longbotham
DJE CONCERTO CUP
Woodwind Concerto
Julie Scholefield
BRASS
HARRY RIDOUT TROPHY Brass Solo Matthew Powell
DJE CUP Brass Solo Repertoire Matthew Powell
ENSEMBLES
DJE CUP Ensembles
Dauntsey’s Saxophone Quartet
COMPOSITION
SIMON MAY TROPHY
Original composition
Lily Loraine-Smith
VOCAL
PEWSEY VALE DFAS CUP
Folk Song/Music Lottie Phillips
ROSE SCUDAMORE CUP Vocal Solo Katey Rylands
DJE AWARD Junior Vocal Solo Beatrice Watts
DJE AWARD Senior Vocal Solo Rachel Ibbetson
DIRECTOR’S CUP Vocal Recital Katey Rylands
MARY HUTCHINGS CUP Vocal Duet/Trio Lucy Gray & Lucy Crofts
MUSICAL THEATRE
GEORGE SANDERSON CUP Overall Musical Theatre Solo Rebecca Napper
ST MARGARET’S CUP
Junior Musical Theatre Solo Annabella Fairgreave
THE WALKER CUP
Senior Musical Theatre Solo Millie Gmaj
THE STONE KING CUP
Musical Theatre Duet/Trio Phoebe McHugh, Beatrice Watts & Megan Wright
CHOIRS
BOB MAY MEMORIAL PLATE St Margaret’s Chamber Choir
DJE CUP Carol Party
Devizes Harmony
SPEECH
KATHLEEN BUDD CUP
Overall Verse Speaking Solo Emily Edwards
DJE AWARD Junior Verse Speaking Solo Lucy Towle
DJE AWARD Senior Verse Speaking Solo Owen Riley
SHELAGH RICHARDS CUP Choral Speaking St Joseph’s School
WILTSHIRE G & H CUP
News Reading Jacob Fadipe
BENNETT FULLER CUP Communication/Reading Aloud George Thomas
WHARF THEATRE CUP
Drama – Monologue/ Duologue/Mime Millie Gmaj
ART/LITERARY
MILLS CUP Art Poppy Harris
DAVID DARK CUP
Handwriting Joseph Rossi
WILLIAM SALMON CUP
Short Story/Poem
Cocoa Mudgal
WILLIAM DAUNTESEY CUP Best Junior Performance
Beatrice Watts
GILES CHIVERS CUP
Best Senior Performance
Joel Munday
THE FIRST STAGES AWARD Most inspirational solo
performance Katherine Stonham
DJE CUP Best Group or School
St Margaret’s School
JAMES ORAM CUP
Versatility Beatrice Watts
Full results: www.devizes-eisteddfod.org.uk/
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