Final results and photos from the 2024 Highbridge Festival of The Arts

The 76th annual Highbridge Festival Of The Arts saw hundreds of performances in Burnham-On-Sea and Highbridge over two weeks.

Here are the final results from the long-running festival which again shone a spotlight on the best up-and-coming performers from across the region.

Saturday 16th March

Highbridge Community Hall resounded with the performances of five adult choirs on the final day of the 76^th Highbridge Festival of The Arts. Waves of Harmony from Weston-Super-Mare took part in this festival for the first time and organisers were pleased to welcome back Bleadon Belles WI Choir, Burnham & Highbridge Choral Society, Vocalise and Vocalise-Lite. Vocalise from Weston impressed the adjudicator with their polished performances, achieving gold medals in each of their classes with two outstanding (Honours) marks and high distinction marks for their other entries. Stogursey Sea Shanty Crew also entertained the audience with their comic duet, which the adjudicator described as very authentic.

The adjudicator, Roy Robinson, thanked the organisers, entrants and audiences for their friendliness and welcome, saying that the festival provided a very positive experience for everyone. He said that the festival offered an astonishing range of opportunities to participate as it had such a wide range of classes and was open to entrants of all ages. The festival had been “hugely enjoyable.”

Mayor, Cllr Lesley Millard, closed the Festival on behalf of The Town Council, thanking the wonderful volunteers for their hard work throughout the festival and saying that she was very proud that this amazing event is held in Highbridge & Burnham. She said that it gave the whole community the opportunity to recognise the value of the performing arts.

Plans are already well in-hand for the 77^th Highbridge Festival of The Arts and organisers hope that even more members of the local community will either enter or take the opportunity to join the audience and enjoy many amazing performances from talented performers of Speech, Drama, Dance and Music.

Class C29E Choral Two Contrasting Songs of Worship
1st Vocalise

Class C32E Choral Two Songs in Unison
1st Vocalise (Honours)
2nd Vocalise-Lite (Honours)

Class V22E Vocal Duet A Comic Duet
1st Stogursey Sea Shanty Crew

Class C34 Choral 15 Minute Show Medley
1st Vocalise

Class C30E Choral Two or Three Short Songs with a Common Theme
1st Vocalise
2nd Waves of harmony
3rd Bleadon Belles WI Choir

Class C31E Choral Two Contrasting Songs to be Sung in Harmony
1st Vocalise (Honours)
2nd Vocalise-Lite
3rd Bleadon Belles WI Choir

Friday 15th March

The penultimate day of this year’s Festival of The Arts saw vocalists take to the stage at Highbridge Community Hall. Young singers began the proceedings singing a variety of songs from stage, film and pop, with one vocalist even singing a folk song in Welsh. Adult singers entertained the audience in the evening with some beautiful renditions of solos and duets in a variety of styles. Several performances were rewarded with high distinction marks and were warmly applauded by the audience. The evening was rounded off by two ensembles of instrumentalists. The final day of this 76th Highbridge Festival of The Arts will see adult choirs compete for medals at Highbridge Community Hall. Performances begin at 10am on Saturday 16th March.

Class V4B Vocal Solo Song from Any Musical Show/Film
1st Clemence Smith

Class V16B Vocal Solo Song of Own Choice including Pop/Film/Show
1st Isla Ferguson
2nd Lily Baker
3rd= Clemence Smith
3rd= Darcy Rees

Class V23B Vocal Duet Any Other Duet
1st Isla Ferguson & Lily Baker

Class V4C Vocal Solo Song from Any Musical Show/Film
1st Amy Colman
2nd Agnes Lalu Paul
3rd Carys Cooper

Class V5C Vocal Solo Pop Song from Any Decade
1st Agnes Lalu Paul
2nd Amy Colman
3rd Jamie Holland

Class V9C Vocal Solo Arranged Folk Song
1st Carys Cooper

Class V20C Vocal Duet from Stage or Film
1st Clemence Smith & Sydney Smith
2nd Carys Cooper & Sydney Smith

Class V16C Vocal Solo Song of Own Choice including Pop/Film/Show
1st Amy Colman
2nd Jamie Holland

Class V23E Vocal Duet Any Other Duet
1st Frankie Masarik & Rosie Sewell

Class V3E Vocal Solo Traditional Unaccompanied Folk Song
1st Frankie Masarik

Class V14E Vocal Solo Aria from Grand Opera
1st Rosie Sewell

Class V2E Vocal Solo Adult Song of Worship
1st Denise Rogers

Class V7E Vocal Solo Baroque/Classical/Romantic
1st Rosie Sewell

Class V10E Vocal Solo Art Song Art Song in Original Language
1st Rosie Sewell

Class V13 Vocal Solo Adult Novice Own Choice
1st Denise Rogers

Class R99 Recital Three Contrasting Pieces presented as Mini-Concert
1st Frankie Masarik

Class G83 Instrumental Ensemble 7-12 Instruments
1st King Alfred Brass Ensemble
2nd Clarinet Candies

Thursday 14th March

Thursday at the Music Section of the Festival was very varied. The day began with
six young pianists from Catcott School competing for the first time in public. They
delighted the audience with their confidence and proudly shared their medals.
They were followed by six entrants who competed for The Dorothy Reaney Trophy,
which was presented to the Festival in memory of long term supporter Dorothy
Reaney. In the afternoon, the Festival welcomed young recorder players from
Bridgwater College Academy who played in groups, in duets and solos. The young
children stayed on to watch and listen to The Fipple Flutes play recorders of all
sizes and appreciate the music they can aim to create as they progress with their
recorder playing.

The day was also another first for the adjudicator, Roy Robinson, as he was asked
to adjudicate three multi-discipline performances. “I’ve created over a hundred
multi-disciplinary shows,” said Roy, “but this is the first time that I’ve had to
adjudicate one, let alone three! They were all highly entertaining.” Westover
Green Drama Club were first to perform showcasing excerpts from The Little
Mermaid, which brought tears to the eyes of some of the audience as the group
told the story through song and drama and achieved a distinction mark. In the
evening The Coastline Singers performed a comedic piece centred around a chaotic
choir rehearsal. They were followed by Danza del Rey featuring flamenco dancing
accompanied by a group of varied band instrumentalists.
The day was rounded off by The King Alfred Concert Band, who the adjudicator
described as a ‘serious band’ and awarded them a distinction for their
performance.

Class X88B Instrumental Beginners’ Class
1st Alice Phillips
2nd Eddie Carr

Class X88A Instrumental Beginners’ Class
1st Elizabeth Perfect-Porter
2nd= Lily Carter
2nd= Rogue Burrows

Class X39B Instrumental Look What I Can Do
1st Eddie Carr
2nd Alice Phillips

Class X39A Instrumental Look What I Can Do
1st= Lily Carter
1st= Rogue Burrows
1st= Elizabeth Perfect-Porter

Class DRT The Dorithy Reaney Award
1st Jack Richardson
2nd Amelia Rose
3rd= Lillie Hannett
3rd= Lois Downing

Class X62B Recorder Groups One or Two Pieces
1st BCA Recorder Group

Class X62A Recorder Groups One or Two Pieces
1st BCA First Recorder Group

Class X61B Recorder Duets One or Two Pieces
1st Lily Jennings & Nancy Miller
2nd Sofia Dankova & Lilla Dome

Class X60B Recorder Solos One or Two Pieces
1st Harvey Lacey
2nd Lilla Dome

Class X61A Recorder Duets One or Two Pieces
1st= Alice Walford & Ema Dankova
1st= Lea Dankova & Erin McCallum

Class X60A Recorder Solos One or Two Pieces
1st Alice Walford

Class X62E Recorder Groups One or Two Pieces
1st The Fipple Flutes

Class G37B Multi-Discipline Performance
1st Westover Green Drama Club

Class G37 Multi-discipline Performance
1st Coastline Singers
2nd Danza del Rey

Class 85 Instrumental Ensemble 35+ Instruments
1st King Alfred Concert Band

Wednesday 13th March

Festival organisers welcomed over one hundred and fifty children from four schools (Churchfield, St Andrew’s, Brent Knoll and Worle Village) to compete in the schools’ choral section of the festival. A large, enthusiastic audience delighted in hearing the children sing, whilst the excited children said how much they had enjoyed their experience on the stage. New for this year were classes for World Music, in which Brent Knoll Primary School Choir sang songs from Kenya and India, and hand chimes.

After the excitement of the school choirs during the day, a small number of entrants played a variety of instruments in the evening, demonstrating their versatility in musical technique. The small audience were treated to tuba, flute, piano and even the bagpipes. Twelve-year-old Tristan Clarke played the drums accompanying David Bowie’s ‘Let’s Dance’, earning himself a distinction mark in the process. Adjudicator, Roy Robinson, quipped, “You can’t say there’s a lack of variety at this festival!” He went on to say that he had judged virtually every possible instrument in his time, however, tonight he was absolutely thrilled to adjudicate the bagpipes for the first time in his career and add them to his CV.

Class 32A Choral Two Songs in Unison
1st Wells Class – Churchfield School
2nd Weston Class – Churchfield School

Class C29 Choral Two Contrasting Songs of Worship
1st Churchfield Harmony
2nd Brent Knoll Primary School Choir

Class C30 Choral Two or Three Short Songs with a Common Theme
1st Brent Knoll Primary School Choir
2nd Churchfield Harmony

Class C33 Choral Programme of World Music
1st Brent Knoll Primary School Choir

Class G80 Instrumental Groups Classroom Music Making
1st Brent Knoll Primary School Hand Chimes Club

Class C32 Choral Two Songs in Unison
1st Churchfield Harmony
2nd St Andrew’s School Choir
3rd Worle Village Primary School Choir

Class X74 Instrumental Solo Any Instrument Grades 4-5
1st Tristan Clarke
2nd Lillie Hannett

Class X69D Unaccompanied Solos Woodwind
1st Lillie Hannett

Class X66B Accompanied Solos Percussion
1st Tristan Clarke

Class X 71E Unaccompanied Solos Any Other Instrument
1st Phil Marshall

Class X39D Instrumental Look What I can Do
1st Lillie Hannett

Class X70D Unaccompanied Solos Brass
1st Jack Richardson

Class X78D Instrumental Duet Adult & Child
1st Lillie & Mary

Class X39E Instrumental Look What I can Do
1st Susie Fowler

Class X64D Accompanied Solos Woodwind
1st Lillie Hannett

Tuesday 12th March

The Music Section of Highbridge Festival of The Arts began on Tuesday 12 March at
Highbridge Community Hall with a full day of piano playing. Adjudicator, Roy
Robinson, said, “There was much to enjoy during the day and some extraordinary
piano playing with vivid interpretations of the music.” The appreciative audience
were impressed with the playing of several pianists who achieved high distinction
marks, notably Lottie Mills, Ben Webster and fifteen-year-old Avanesh
Tharmaratnam from Bristol.
The Music Section continues on Wednesday with school choirs singing during the
day and instrumentalists playing in the evening.

Class P53B Piano Duet Pupil & Teacher Duet of Own Choice
1st Lois Downing
2nd Evelyn McGovern
3rd Sophie Downing

Class P41 Piano Solo Grades 2-3
1st Lee Smith
2nd Sofia Marchant
3rd Evie Knibb

Class P48B Piano Solo One Piece of Own Choice
1st Sophie Downing
2nd Yik Hin Wong
3rd Filip Kosak

Class P48A Piano Solo One Piece of Own Choice
1st Emily Stanley

Class P51B Piano Solo One Modern Piece
1st Evie Knibb
2nd Darcey Chilcott
3rd Issy Kenny

Class P51A Piano Solo One Modern Piece
1st Emily Stanley

Class P52B Piano Duet A Duet of Own Choice
1st Cassandra Carter & Ella Kaya

Class P50C Piano Solo One Piece in Baroque/Classical/Romantic Style
1st Lee Smith

Class P50B Piano Solo One Piece in Baroque/Classical/Romantic Style
1st Elijah Warwick
Class X68A Unaccompanied Solo Strings
1st Yik Hong Wong

Class P40 Piano Solo Up To Grade 1
1st Amelia Rose
2nd Shreya Varinder
3rd Emily Stanley

Class P54B Piano Trio – Any Piano Trio
1st Sophie, Lois & Grandma

Class P53C Piano Duet Pupil & Teacher – Duet of Own Choice
1st Amelia Rose

Class 51C Piano Solo – One Modern Piece
1st Avanesh Tharmaratnam

Class P48C Piano Solo – One Piece of Own Choice
1st Avanesh Tharmaratnam
2nd Lee Smith
3rd Amelia Rose

Class P42 Piano Solo – Grades 4-5
1st Alex Chang
2nd Yik Hin Wong
Class 49C Piano Solo – Jazz Performance
1st Lee Smith

Class P53D Piano Duet Pupil & Teacher – Duet of Own Choice
1st Lillie Hannett
2nd Jack Richardson

Class P53E Piano Duet Pupil & Teacher – Duet of Own Choice
1st Bethan Grace Kahapolarachi
2nd Chrissy Coburn
3rd Susie Fowler

Class P52D Piano Duet – A Duet of Own Choice
1st Seth Barnshaw & Jack Richardson

Class P52E Piano Duet – A Duet of Own Choice
1st Jennifer Golding & Tania Kaya

Class 51E Piano Solo – One Modern Piece
1st Lottie Mills

Class P43 Piano Solo – Grades 6-7
1st Eleanor Chappell
2nd Jennifer Golding

Class P48D Piano Solo – One Piece of Own Choice
1st Jack Richardson

Class P50E Piano Solo – One Piece in Barroque/Classical /Romantic Style
1st Ben Webster
2nd Lee Harper
3rd Lottie Mills

Class P48E Piano – One Piece of Own Choice
1st Sam McDougall

Class P44 Piano Solo – Grade 8 and above
1st Lottie Mills

Sunday 10th March

The last three days of the Dance Section of Highbridge Festival of the Arts at The
Princess Theatre saw nearly two hundred dancers aged 11 to 21 compete in forty-seven classes of dance ranging from classical ballet to commercial/street dance.

The standard of dancing impressed the audience with a number of dancers being awarded distinctions. On Sunday Korben Drew’s outstanding song & dance performance as King George III from the musical Hamilton delighted the audience and was rewarded with a rare Honours mark.

Large audiences came to the theatre on Saturday and Sunday evenings to watch group dances performed by dancers representing nine different dance schools. The audiences were delighted by the choreography and by the energy and artistry of the dancers. Groups from Fox King Dance Academy from Bridgwater, First Steps & Carly Elizabeth School of Dance and Signature Dance Studio from Bristol and Lisa Jane School of Dance from Highbridge all achieved distinctions for their varied performances.

ighbridge Festival is one of the few festivals in the country to welcome dancers over
21, so the grand finale when adult groups performed duets, trios, quartets and group
dances was greatly appreciated by the families and friends of the dancers. They
applauded loudly as the evening was rounded off by tap dancers from The Lisa Jane School of Dance performing a routine called Thriller.

Maureen Phillips, Chairman of The Festival, thanked the Dance Adjudicator, Jackie Hutt, for her hard work during the Festival, the dancers for taking part and the audience for supporting the Festival. The Festival now moves to Highbridge Community Hall for the Music Section, which runs from Tuesday 12 – Saturday 16 March.

Class 8 National Solo 15-18 years
1st Ella Trott
2nd= Harriet Vickers-Graham
2nd= Hollie Shere

Class 5 Lyrical Modern Solo 15-18 years
1st Edwina Wong
2nd Lily-Rain Fuller
3rd= Bethany Hughes
3rd= Summer Williamson

Class 73 Cabaret Trio/Quartet 18 years & under
1st Harriet Hosken, Evie King & Ashleigh Hickman
2nd= Ruby Smith, Harriet Hosken & Ashleigh Hickman
2nd= Grace Fry, Francessa Guidi & Bethany Hughes
3rd= Zoe Loveridge, Rosie MacBeth & Neve Lacey
3rd= Lily-Rain Fuller, Grace Smith & Hattie Kybert

Class 9 Choreographic Solo 15-18 years
1st= Scarlet Puddy
1st= Summer Williamson

Class 3 Tap Solo 15-18 years
1st Harriet Vickers-Graham
2nd Korben Drew
3rd= Hollie Shere
3rd= Lorelei Murdoch
3rd= Ruby Smith

Class 74 Classical Trio/Quartet 18 years & under
1st Hannah Gamblin, Hollie Shere & Ella Trott

Class 10 Commercial/Street Solo 15-18 years
1st Scarlet Puddy
2nd Harriet Hosken
3rd= Ruby Smith
3rd= Summer Williamson

Class 4 Character Solo 15-18 years
1st Lorelei Murdoch
2nd Bethany Moss

Class 2 Modern Solo 15-18 years
1st Florence Milner
2nd Edwina Wong
3rd Lily-Rain Fuller

Class 11 Song and Dance Solo 15-18 years
1st Korben Drew (Honours)
2nd Florence Milner
3rd Jack Roberts

Class 63 Classical Duet 18 years & under
1st Hannah Gamblin & Hollie Shere
2nd Abigail Kelly & Phoebe Bailey

Class 7 Contemporary Solo 15-18 years
1st Florence Milner
2nd Alice King
3rd= Neve Emery
3rd= Summer Williamson

Class 1 Classical Ballet Solo 15-18 years
1st Edwina Wong
2nd= Florence Milner
2nd= Neve Emery
3rd Lily-Rain Fuller

Class 62 Cabaret Duet 18 years & under
1st Florence Milner & Fenella Milner
2nd Florence Milner & Ivy Neale
3rd= Grace Fry & Francessa Guidi
3rd= Ruby Smith & Harriet Hosken

Class 83 Classical Senior Groups 21 years & under
1st Signature Dance Studios – Celtic Jig
2nd= Fox King Dance Academy – Mozart No4
2nd= Annette Adams School of Dancing – Motion
3rd Spotlight Dance Academy – Masquerade

Class 82 Cabaret Senior Groups 21 years & under
1st Lisa Jane School of Dance – Dancin’ Man
2nd Fox King Dance Academy – Motown
3rd Spotlight Dance Academy – Ribbon

Class 72 Any Dance Adult Duet
1st= Alana James & Jack Roberts
1st= Victoria Franklin & Fiona Grace
2nd Christine Gardner & Malcom Cuthbertson
3rd Mary Nutley & Emma Kimsey

Class 81 Any Dance Adult trio/Quartet
1st Alan James, Phoebe Brown & Alisha Hutchison
2nd Mary Nutley, Christine Gardner, Malcolm Cuthbertson & Emma Kimsey

Class 89 Any Dance Group Adult
1st Lisa Jane School of Dance – Thriller
2nd= Stepping Out Dance School – Feeling Good
2nd= Bryony Dance – Singin’ in the rain
3rd Flamenco Group – Buleria Barroca

Saturday 9th March

Class 19 National Solo 13-14 years
1st Emily Vickers-Graham
2nd Sophia Winfield

Class 16 Lyrical Modern Solo 13-14 years
1st Jessica Hughes
2nd Rocha Teale
2nd Ruby Sproat
3rd= Nathalia Evans
3rd= Fenella Milner
3rd= Matilda Tyler
3rd= Bonnie Williams
Class 20 Choreographic Solo 13-14 years
1st Rocha Teale

Class 75 Cabaret Trio/Quartet 14 years & under
1st= Noah Morgan, Hattie Kybert & Marianne Finch
1st= Beatrice Langham, Poppy Potter & Maisie Hayward
2nd Emilia Cornes, Emily Vickers-Graham & Lola Smith
3rd Kaitlyn Smith, Lucy Hasler & Izzy Watters

Class 18 Contemporary Solo 13-14 years
1st Fenella Milner
2nd Beatrice Langham
3rd Layla Tovey

Class 15 Character Solo 13-14 years
1st Bonnie Williams
2nd= Daisy Armstrong
2nd= Matilda Tyler
2nd= Rocha Teale
3rd= Jessica Hughes
3rd= Fenella Milner

Class 65 Classical Duet 14 years & under
1st= Evie Macdonald & Ruby Sproat
1st= Nathalia Evans & Daisy Armstrong

Class 13 Modern Solo 13-14 years
1st Ruby Sproat
2nd= Nathalia Evans
2nd= Bonnie Williams
3rd= Emma Beckingsale
3rd= Daisy Armstrong
3rd= Olivia Montgomery
3rd= Layla Tovey
3rd= Molly Webster
3rd= Jessica Hughes
3rd= Fenella Milner
3rd= Benji Kingston

Class 64 Cabaret Duet 14 years & under
1st Matilda Tyler & Bonnie Williams
2nd Olivia Montgomery & Rocha Teale
3rd= Beatrice Langham & Poppy Potter
3rd= Lily Usher & Keira Hallett

Class 12 Classical Ballet Solo 13-14 years
1st Beatrice Langham
2nd Ruby Sproat
3rd= Fenella Milner
3rd= Benji Kingston

Class 21 Commercial/Street Solo 13-14 years
1st Sophia Winfield
2nd Eva Hill

Class 14 Tap Solo 13-14 years
1st Rocha Teale
2nd Matilda Tyler
3rd Bonnie Williams

Class 22 Song and Dance Solo 13-14 years
1st Matilda Tyler
2nd Rocha Teale
3rd= Bonnie Williams
3rd= Alice Day

Class 76 Classical Trio/Quartet 14 years & under
1st Kaitlyn Smith, Lucy Hasler & Izzy Watters

Class 85 Classical Intermediate Groups 14 years & under
1st Wells Ballet School – Dawn

Class 84 Cabaret Intermediate Groups 14 years & under
1st Fox King Dance Academy – Hey Momma
2nd First Steps & Carly Elizabeth School of Dance – Snowflake
3rd Fox King Dance Academy – Riot

Friday 8th March

Class 26 Character Solo 11-12 years
1st Noah Morgan
2nd= Thea Martin
2nd= Leah Gordon
3rd Matilda Palmer

Class 78 Classical Trio/Quartet 12 years & under
1st Lauren Dodden, Marcy-May Murdoch & Chloe Jenkins
Class 25 Tap Solo 11-12 years
1st Florence Hazell
2nd Leah Gordon
3rd= Rosie Eades
3rd= Lauren Dodden

Class 28 Greek Solo 11-12 years
1st Thea Martin

Class 27 Lyrical Modern Solo 11-12 years
1st= Noah Morgan
1st= Marina Diez
2nd= Marianne Finch
2nd= Thea Martin
3rd= Saskia Gair

Class 77 Cabaret Trio/Quartet 12 years & under
1st Lauren Dodden, Rosie Eades & Chloe Jenkins
2nd Amanda Lynch, Mollie Eagle & Ellie Jones
Class 30 National Solo 11-12 years
1st Thea Martin

Class 24 Modern Solo 11-12 years
1st Thea Martin
2nd= Noah Morgan
2nd= Matilda Palmer
2nd= Saskia Gair
2nd= Marina Diez
3rd= Lauren Dodden
3rd= Florence Hazell
3rd= Leah Gordon

Class 67 Classical Duet 12 years & under
1st Noah Morgan & Marianne Finch
2nd Amelia Spendley & Amelie Thompson
3d Ellie Jones & Ellie Larkins

Class 66 Cabaret Duet 12 years & under
1st Lydia Ferreira & Ethan Wells
2nd Rosie Eades & Lauren Dodden
3rd Mya Miller & Sienna Miller

Class 29 Contemporary Solo 11-12 years
1st= Noah Morgan
1st= Marina Diez
2nd Saskia Gair
3rd Florence Joy Drinkwater

Class 23 Classical Ballet Solo 11-12 years
1st Thea Martin
2nd Marina Diez
3rd Lily Sproat
Class 32 Commercial/Street Solo 11-12 years
1st Grace Ely
2nd Amelie Payne

Class 33 Song & Dance Solo 11-12 years
1st Noah Morgan
2nd= Thea Martin
2nd= Lola John
3rd= Ethan Wells
3rd= Tallulah Lewis
Class 31 Choreographic Solo 11-12 years
1st= Saskia Gair
1 st= Noah Morgan

Thursday 7th March

The second day of dance at The Princess Theatre saw nearly 60 young dancers from dance schools all over the south west compete for medals in solo, duet, trio and quartet classes. The day was rounded off with group performances involving many more dancers who represented six different dance schools. Their classical and cabaret group dances thoroughly entertained the large and very enthusiastic audience. The Dance Section of the festival continues at The Princess Theatre until Sunday 10th March.

Thursday 7 March 2024

Class 37 Character Solo 9-10 years

1st Freya Pearl Wood

2nd Lily Magpantay

3rd Abi Latimer

Class 80 Classical Trios/Quartets 10 years & under

1st Freya Pearl Wood, Frankie Senior & Mia-Loren Manley

2nd Evie Pheasant, Billy Cook & Rosie Childs

3rd Macey Pugh, Rosanna Upton & Esme Stirling

Class 38 Lyrical Modern Solo 9-10 years

1st Maisie Kinneir

2nd Abi Latimer

3rd= Marcy-May Murdoch

3rd= Chloe Jenkins

Class 42 Commercial/Street 9 -10 years

1st Phoebe Brown

2nd Isla Langdon

Class 68 Cabaret Duets 10 years & under

1st Lily Magpantay & Maisie Kinneir

2nd Maja Rogowska & Abi Latimer

3rd Isla Bateman & Eden Clarke

Class 39 Greek Solo 9-10 years

1st Isla Martin

2nd Freya Pearl Wood

3rd Rimon Gold

Class 36 Tap Solo 9-10 years

1st Chloe Jenkins

2nd Marcy-May Murdoch

3rd Maja Rogowska

Class 79 Cabaret Trios/Quartets 10 years & under

1st= Lucy Pool, Keira Eagle & Quinn Walker-Blair

1st= Charlotte Pheasant, Hali Langdon & Lily Jones

2nd Lucy Pool, Summer Mason & Lennon Mason

3rd Charlotte Pheasant, Hali Langdon & Isla Langdon

Class 35 Modern Solo 9-10 years

1st Lily Magpantay

2nd Maisie Kinneir

3rd Freya Jeffries

Class 43 Song and Dance Solo 9-10 years

1st Abi Latimer

2nd Chloe Jenkins

3rd= Willow Pritchard-Roberts

3rd= Lacey Carroll

3rd= Charlotte Pheasant

3rd= Isla Martin

Class 41 Choreographic Solo 9-10 years

1st Freya Jeffries

2nd Leah Gilbert

Class 34 Classical Ballet Solo 9-10 years

1st Maisie Kinneir

2nd= Freya Pearl Wood

2nd= Marcy-May Murdoch

3rd= Isla Martin

3rd= Freya Jeffries

3rd= Chloe Jenkins

Class 40 National Solo 9-10 years

1st Paige Mahony

2nd Isla Martin

3rd Phoebe Brown

Class 69 Classical Duets 10 years & under

1st Freya Pearl Wood & Frankie Senior

2nd Charlotte Pheasant & Lily Jones

Class 87 Classical Junior Groups 10 years & under

1st Stepping Stones – Somewhere Over the Rainbow

2nd= Signature Dance School – Christmas Morning

2nd= Spotlight Dane School – Beauty & The Beast

3rd Spotlight Dane School – Harry Potter

Class 86 Cabaret Junior Groups 10 years & under

1st Stepping Stones Dance School – Greatest Show

2nd= Lisa Jane School of Dance – Carwash

2nd= Fox King Dance School – Crocodile Rock

2nd= Lisa Jane School of Dance – Jailhouse Rock

3rd= Spotlight Dance School – There’s always tomorrow

3rd= First Steps & Carly Elizabeth School of Dance – Route 66

3rd= Signature Dance School – Good News

3rd= Spotlight Dance School – Naughty

Wednesday 6th March

Cllr Roger Keen, as deputy mayor, visited the festival and met some of the team organising the event and the judges. He praised the high standard of competition and wished the team well for another great festival.

Class 49 Greek Solo 7–8 Years

1^st      Rosanna Upton

2^nd      Sophie Hoydan

Class 48 Lyrical Modern Solo 7-8 Years

1^st      Grace Wood

2^nd      Azyrah Stewart

3^rd      Evie Jukes

Class 61 Any Dance Solo 4 Years & under

1^st=     Alaina Wong

1^st=     Beatrix Smith

1^st=     Holly Christiaans

Class 50 National Solo 7-8 Years

1^st      Rosanna Upton

Class 47 Character Solo 7-8 Years

1^st      Rae Fry

2^nd=    Aleksandra Rogowska

2^nd=    Olive Gaskell

3^rd=    Evie Jukes

3^rd=    Zuzanna Zyla

Class 88 Any Dance Group Primary Schools

1^st      Worle Village Primary School

2^nd      Mark C of E VC First School

Class 60 Song and Dance Solo 6 Years & under

1^st      Ivy Neale

2^nd      Alaya Buck

3^rd      Grace Young

Class 45 Modern Solo 7-8 Years

1^st      Evie Jukes

2^nd      Zuzanna Zyla

3^rd=    Rae Fry

3^rd=    Grace Wood

Class 53 Classical Ballet Solo 6 Years & under

1^st      Lorna Emery

2^nd      India Webber

3^rd=    Isla Miller

3^rd=    Margot Walker-Blair

Class 71 Classical Duets 8 Years & under

1^st=     Florence Cousins & Olive Gaskell

1^st=     Rae Fry & Evie Jukes

2^nd      Rosie Chidgey & Alaya Buck

3^rd      Sophie Hoydan & Rosanne Upton

Class 55 Tap Solo 6 Years & under

1^st      Isla Miller

2^nd      Alaya Buck

3^rd      Grace Gibbons

Class 44 Classical Ballet Solo 7-8 Years

1^st=     Aleksandra Rogowska

1^st=     Olive Gaskell

2^nd=    Eva Capel

2^nd=    Rae Fry

3^rd=    Florence Cousins

3^rd=    Aurélia Mason

3^rd=    Jemima Christiaans

3^rd=    Grace Wood

Class 54 Modern Solo 6 Years & under

1^st      Isla Miller

2^nd      Alaya Buck

3^rd      Lorna Emery

Class 52 Song & Dance Solo 7-8 Years

1^st      Grace Wood

2^nd=    Eva Capel

2^nd=    Evie Pheasant

3^rd      Rae Fry

Class 46 Tap Solo 7-8 Years

1^st      Grace Wood

2^nd      Jemima Christiaans

3^rd      Ivy Mason

Class 58 National Solo 6 Years & under

1^st=     Macy Pugh

1^st=     Matilda Bushell

Class 51 Commercial/Street Solo 7-8 Years

1^st      Evie Pheasant

Class 56 Character Solo 6 Years & under

1^st      Lorna Emery

2^nd      Grace Gibbons

3^rd      Evelyn Pilgrim

Class 70 Cabaret Duets 8 Years & under

1^st      Zuzanna Zyla & Aleksandra Rogoswska

2^nd      Florence Cousins & Olive Gaskell

3^rd=    Rae Fry & Evie Jukes

3^rd=    Freya Hayword & Rosie Childs

Tuesday March 5th

Tuesday 5th March saw over 200 local primary school children take part in the Speech & Drama Section of Highbridge Festival of The Arts at The Princess Theatre in Burnham-on-Sea.

Year 5 & Year 6 pupils recited poems by Judith Nicholls and Grahame Green. Then followed the competition to win the Dorothy Reaney Trophy for Speech and Drama. This involved groups of children from Brent Knoll Primary, Burnham Infants and East Brent C of E Academy performing choral poetry which delighted the large audience.

The trophy, named in honour of a long time supporter of the Festival, was presented to Dragonfly Class from East Brent School by the adjudicator and Dorothy Reaney’s daughter who had come along to listen to all of the entries. Eleanor McLeod, the adjudicator said that it had been wonderful to see and hear so many children enjoying performing poetry on the stage and that this was a great first step in learning to speak in public.

The Festival continues tomorrow with the start of the Dance Section which begins at 10am and runs for five days, finishing on the evening of Sunday 10 March.

Class 16 Set Verse Speaking Year 6
1st Ivy Kendrick
2nd Jack Gubicza
3rd= Phoebe Couchman
3rd= Poppy Haines
3rd= Hanna Britton
3rd= Bodhi Smith

Class 15 Set Verse Speaking Year 5
1st Freya Jeffries
2nd Molly Strange
3rd Mabel Warrilow

Class 27 Choral Speech Dorothy Reaney Trophy
Winners Dragonfly Class
East Brent C of E Academy

Results on Monday March 4th

The 76th Highbridge Festival of The Arts was opened by Burnham & Highbridge Mayor, Cllr Lesley Millard.

After an opening speech, she stayed to listen to primary school youngsters from local schools recite poetry on the stage of The Princess Theatre.

Adjudicator, Eleanor McLeod, praised the children for working hard to learn their poems off by heart. Year 8 pupils took to the stage in the afternoon to deliver monologues and said that they had really enjoyed performing in the theatre and appreciated the adjudicator’s feedback.

In the evening the audience and adjudicator were delighted by original stories and poetry, monologues and a “beautiful” recital of Shakespeare’s Sonnet 18 – Shall I compare thee to a summer’s day? Eleanor McLeod, the adjudicator, talked to the audience about her passion for public speaking, saying that effective public speaking is an essential life skill preparing young people for the future.

She highlighted several ex-pupils who regularly give lectures and presentations all over the world as part of their jobs and others who have used their skills in interviews.

Six-year-old Edwin, who was in the audience to hear his sister’s original short story, was so inspired by watching everyone on stage that he shared his own story with the adjudicator & audience, rounding off a great day of Speech & Drama.

The festival continues tomorrow, Tuesday, with Year 5 & 6 pupils reciting set verse and groups of children taking part in choral speaking to compete for the Dorothy Reaney Trophy.

Class 13 Set Verse Speaking Year 3
1st Anthony Hickson
2nd Freya Barratt
3rd Lacey Neilson

Class 11 Set Verse Speaking Year 1
1st Trystan Treloar
2nd Maya Chaplin
3rd Bobbi Hickson

Class 12 Set Verse Speaking Year 2
1st Jacob Nguyen
2nd Oscar Aves

Class 14 Set Verse Speaking Year 4
1st Rupert Parsons
2nd Oscar Keen
3rd= Bella-Rose Dickson
3rd= Jack Howgate

Class 34J Monologue Scripted
1st Bella Hall
2nd= Isabella Thomas
2nd= Lilian Lowe

Class 37O Original Short Story
1st Kim Lewis
2nd Jane Lee

Class 37G Original Short Story
1st Elsie Timpson

Class 34F Monologue Scripted
1st Eve Smith

Class 34H Monologue Scripted
1st Lola Tilson

Class 38O Sonnets
1st Samantha Nicol

Class 25F Original Poetry
1st Eve Smith

Class 39F Public Speaking
1st Eve Smith

Class 32O Scripted Scene or Extract
1st Samantha Nicol