Record Number Of Young Berkshire Musicians Perform At LVS Ascot Music Festival
10 Mar 2017
A record number of young musicians across Berkshire and beyond expressed their talents on stage at the LVS Ascot Music Festival on Saturday 4th and Sunday 5th February. The event, taking place for the third time, demonstrated the school’s commitment to inspiring young people to exceed their expectations and gave students far and wide the chance to experience playing on stage in front of an audience.
Visitors to the Festival, held in the independent all-ability school’s 300-seat professional theatre, were treated to a stunning array of pieces from a record 118 pupils aged 6 to 18. Competitors from numerous counties including Greater London and Surrey took part in categories including piano, vocal, strings, woodwind and brass in a celebration of musical diversity which reflects the range of music on offer at LVS Ascot.
Eight students from LVS Ascot won ten medals at the event, including 10-year-old Samuel Okoturo who took Gold in the Brass Beginner category as well as Bronze in the Musical Theatre Performance Beginner class. Another 10-year-old LVS Ascot pupil, Connor Simpson, won Silver and Bronze and was joined by younger brother Morgan who took part in the inventive Performer Platforms in the school’s recital room. This initiative allowed younger participants to enjoy the experience of playing publicly without the pressure of staged competition. LVS Ascot was represented by pupils from its junior school, senior school and sixth form to demonstrate the strength of music at the all-through school, with XinYue Liu, 17, claiming the Bronze medal in the Advanced Piano class, a performance you can watch a clip from here.
Also celebrating success at the festival was The Nucleo Project, part of the Sistema England charity founded by Julian Lloyd Webber to transform the lives of children, young people and their communities through the power of making music. The group, based in North Kensington, was rewarded by three Golds, 3 Silvers and 3 Bronzes for a series of excellent performances.
Yi-Ann Yeung, the overall winner of the 2015 LVS Ascot Music Festival who attends Marlston House School near Newbury, won Gold in both categories she entered this year.
LVS Ascot Teacher of Music and Master in Charge of Piano and Keyboard James Bryant said: “Our music and performing arts facilities are so extensive that we wanted to provide an opportunity for talented young musicians from far and wide to enjoy performing in them, and we are delighted so many came to experience playing on our stage. Many classes were significantly larger than last year, and there was a real sense of tension and pressure as all competitors raised their musical game as a result. The standard was so high in some of the classes that some joint medal winners had to be awarded as the adjudicator could not select three clear winners each of a Gold, Silver and Bronze medal”.
The overall Best Musician trophy will be awarded at the Festival Winners’ Concert at LVS Ascot on Friday 24th February, with guests welcome to come and enjoy free entry to watch the performances. Google LVS Ascot Music Festival for more information.
Photo: LVS Ascot’s Samuel Okoturo won Gold in the Brass Beginner category as well as Silver in Musical Theatre Performance