Ellesmere College keeps successful tempo going at Chester Music Festival

The students excelled in choir, mixed voice groups and soloist classes to come away with a string of first and second places. It follows on from another successful showing at the Oswestry Youth Music Festival in March.

Tony Coupe, Director of Music at Ellesmere College, said performances at the Chester Music Festival reflected the school’s standing as one of the top music schools in the country.

“It was great to see our students return to the Chester Music Festival this year and to do so well. It follows a successful and busy year in which they have taken part in a string of festivals, concerts, services and tours,” said Mr Coupe.

“This ongoing success highlights how our students are able to perform at consistently high standards both in ensemble and as soloists. Team skills and mastery lie at the heart of this performance level and Chester Music Festival was no exception.

“The Chamber Choir performed everything from 17th Century sacred cathedral music to modern contemporary classics and everything in between. Adjudicator Brian Hughes was impressed at the balance between parts, the quality of the boys' voices, our attention to expressing the text and the overall quality of sound. 

“He also paid tribute to Ellesmere’s outstanding contribution to the festival, while the festival’s choir secretary Diane Rooney said our young singers were superb and a credit to the school.”

The Raven Four, joined by Anthony Coupe as a stand in, performed a beautiful set with great character and refinement, earning them the highest mark of the day for vocal ensembles and choirs.

Mr Coupe added: “A number of our students performed as soloists, all gaining first or second places, including Molly Fry on clarinet and Lewis Reardon, Huw Lloyd and Olivia Philbin as singers. 

“Lewis did particularly well achieving first place in two categories. At the end of this year he will be heading on with his vocal studies at the Royal Northern College of Music.

“It was a really nice day out with students who serve as excellent ambassadors for the school and I continue to be inspired by them.”

Results

Chamber Choir: Youth Choir, 1st, Senior School Choir Cup; Young Adult Choir, 1st, Waltons of Chester Trophy; Choir Ensemble, 1st, Yates Challenge Cup; Highest mark for Youth Choirs and Ensembles Award, Oriana Cup and Choral Award.

Mixed Voice Groups, 1st, Stamford Cup; The Raven Four placing, Close Harmony Quartets, 1st, lerston Cup; Highest mark for Adult Choirs and CMS Award, Rushworth and Dreaper Cup.

Soloists: Lewis Reardon: Vocal Solo 17-26 years, 1st, Jackie Leech Trophy; Open Lieder Class, 1st; 20th Century Song Open, 2nd.

Honourable Mentions: Molly Fry, clarinet, 2nd, Open Instrumental Solo; Olivia Philbin, soprano, 2nd, Open Folk Song; Huw Lloyd, baritone, 2nd, Vocal Solo Open; Anthony Coupe, Composition Open Class, 1st, The Barlow Cup.