Festival News
The Finals
Mezzo Soprano Mandy Griffin is the winner of this year's Cleveland Medal. At the end of Saturday evening's proceedings, guest adjudicator Jeffrey Wynn Davies praised all the finalists, but said that on this sort of occasion there was invariably a moment in one performance when those listening - including adjudicators - were moved, and knew they were experiencing something very special. For him, and those listening, it was Mandy who produced that moment in her magical performances of Bach's 'Et exultavit Spiritus Meus' from the Magnificat in D' and 'Silent Noon' by Ralph Vaughan Williams.
Earlier in the evening Mandy also won the final of the Lieder Class (the F M Cubbon Rose Bowl), contested by the winners of the six winners of the individual Lieder classes which had been held earlier in the week.
The other winners were Rachel Hopkinson who was awarded the Sheffield Plate, and Harry Galbraith and Graham Crowe who won the Billown Rose Bowl as winners of the Vocal Duets Final.
And so the Guild is over for yet another year, and we look forward to 2010. Thanks to all involved in any way in this year's Festival for your support, and especially our competitors - whether or not winners - who have given us so many magical moments during the past eight days.posted on: 05/05/2009
Saturday
Today (Saturday) sees the final day of competitions at the Manx Music Festival for 2009. The morning classes are for Folk Song (9 and under 14 years) with 46 entrants, and Character Study (under 12) for which 22 young people have entered.
The afternoon session sees four classes, all held in the Royal Hall. They are for Ladies' Choirs, Mixed Chorals, Male Voice Choirs and finally the Open Concert Class.
Finals Night starts at 7 p.m. in the Royal Hall with the competition for the Sheffield Plate, generally recognised as the junior equivalent of the Cleveland Medal Test.
Further Finals for the F M Cubbon Rose Bowl (Lieder) and the Billown Rose Bowl (Vocal Duets) follow before the climax of the week is reached when the winners of the six Special Solo Classes compete for the coveted Cleveland, Ohio (U.S.A.) Manx Society's Gold Medal.
The finals this year will be adjudicated by Jeffrey Wynn Davies.
posted on: 02/05/2009
Fridays Highlights
The penultimate day's competitions at the Guild saw Rachel Hopkinson take the final place in Saturday's Sheffield Plate Final for the winners of our junior singers' competitions, when she won the Girls Solo (12 and under 14) class. She will be joined by Anna Harding (Girls' Solo 11years), Jodie Wickers (Girls' Solo 9 years), Adele Harris (Girls' Solo 10 years) who all won their classes on Tuesday, and Bethany Magee, winner of the Girls' Solo (14 and under 16) Class on Thursday.
The winner of the Popular Standard Song Class for Songs written between 1930 and 1979 was Becki Somers with her rendition of Marvin Hamlisch's 'The Way We Were'.posted on: 01/05/2009