Mid-Somerset Festival 2023 Results
Once again, our musicians turned out in force to participate in The Mid-Somerset Festival, and took home a huge number of major awards.
This highly competitive festival, the largest of its kind in the West of England, provides an annual platform for children and adults to showcase their skills in creative writing, speech and drama, music, musical theatre and dance.
Rufina Lok (Lower Sixth) won both the Piano Concerto and the Premier Award – two of the most prestigious awards in the festival.
In addition, our other pianists dominated the festival; there were eight first prizes awarded, eight seconds and all the major awards went to Wells pupils; Melvin Wai (Year 9) was the winner of the Open Recital class, Bibi Redford (Lower Sixth) the Baroque Solo and Romantic Solo classes, Joseph Tsang (Lower Sixth) the Classical Piano Solo class, Ezra Herring (Year 8) the Piano Repertoire (13 years and under) class, and Michael Dey (Year 7) the Grade 5 Piano Solo class and Intermediate Piano Duet class with Hannah Yap (Year 7).
Belinda Gifford-Guy (Year 7) stormed through the vocal categories, winning the Show Song from Musical or Film (11 years), My Favourite Song (11 years), Art Song (12 years) and Unaccompanied Folk Song (11 years and under) classes. Mila Tsoneva (Year 11) also won the Art Song (15 years) and Vocal Recital (15 years and under) categories, whilst Benjamin Docherty-Wheatley (Year 9) came out on top in the Art Song (13 years), Josephine Church (Year 10) the Show Song or Operetta (15 years), and Shanna Hei (Year 10) the Unaccompanied Folk Song (14 and 15 years). Chrina Shen (Lower Sixth) won the Unaccompanied Folk Song (16-19 years), Charlie Temmink (Lower Sixth) the Vocal Recital (16-19 years) and Lydia South (Lower Sixth) won both the Art Song (16-19 years) and the Opera or Operetta (16-19 years).
Hannah Yap and Michael Dey (Year 7) were the winners of the String Duet (intermediate) category and our harpists took home their fair share of awards. Keziah Whitehead (Year 10) won the Harp Solo (elementary), Tui Ashwell (Year 9) the intermediate and Defne Anar (Lower Sixth) the advanced. Sonia Sung (Upper Sixth) won the Harp Solo Repertoire (advanced) and Michael Dey (Year 7) was awarded the Ruth Faber Harp Trophy.
Finally, there is cause for celebration in the Woodwind department with Beatrice Pooley (Year 7) winning the Woodwind Solo (14 years and under) and Amelia Wise (Lower Sixth) winning both the Woodwind Solo Repertoire (advanced) and the Concerto for Woodwind, Brass and Recorder (open). Amelia received the Thelma King Instrumental Award and Beatrice was given The Mayor of Bath’s Young Woodwind Player’s Award.
We are very proud of everyone who took part in the festival. Congratulations to all those who won such a wonderful set of awards!
This highly competitive festival, the largest of its kind in the West of England, provides an annual platform for children and adults to showcase their skills in creative writing, speech and drama, music, musical theatre and dance.
Rufina Lok (Lower Sixth) won both the Piano Concerto and the Premier Award – two of the most prestigious awards in the festival.
In addition, our other pianists dominated the festival; there were eight first prizes awarded, eight seconds and all the major awards went to Wells pupils; Melvin Wai (Year 9) was the winner of the Open Recital class, Bibi Redford (Lower Sixth) the Baroque Solo and Romantic Solo classes, Joseph Tsang (Lower Sixth) the Classical Piano Solo class, Ezra Herring (Year 8) the Piano Repertoire (13 years and under) class, and Michael Dey (Year 7) the Grade 5 Piano Solo class and Intermediate Piano Duet class with Hannah Yap (Year 7).
Belinda Gifford-Guy (Year 7) stormed through the vocal categories, winning the Show Song from Musical or Film (11 years), My Favourite Song (11 years), Art Song (12 years) and Unaccompanied Folk Song (11 years and under) classes. Mila Tsoneva (Year 11) also won the Art Song (15 years) and Vocal Recital (15 years and under) categories, whilst Benjamin Docherty-Wheatley (Year 9) came out on top in the Art Song (13 years), Josephine Church (Year 10) the Show Song or Operetta (15 years), and Shanna Hei (Year 10) the Unaccompanied Folk Song (14 and 15 years). Chrina Shen (Lower Sixth) won the Unaccompanied Folk Song (16-19 years), Charlie Temmink (Lower Sixth) the Vocal Recital (16-19 years) and Lydia South (Lower Sixth) won both the Art Song (16-19 years) and the Opera or Operetta (16-19 years).
Hannah Yap and Michael Dey (Year 7) were the winners of the String Duet (intermediate) category and our harpists took home their fair share of awards. Keziah Whitehead (Year 10) won the Harp Solo (elementary), Tui Ashwell (Year 9) the intermediate and Defne Anar (Lower Sixth) the advanced. Sonia Sung (Upper Sixth) won the Harp Solo Repertoire (advanced) and Michael Dey (Year 7) was awarded the Ruth Faber Harp Trophy.
Finally, there is cause for celebration in the Woodwind department with Beatrice Pooley (Year 7) winning the Woodwind Solo (14 years and under) and Amelia Wise (Lower Sixth) winning both the Woodwind Solo Repertoire (advanced) and the Concerto for Woodwind, Brass and Recorder (open). Amelia received the Thelma King Instrumental Award and Beatrice was given The Mayor of Bath’s Young Woodwind Player’s Award.
We are very proud of everyone who took part in the festival. Congratulations to all those who won such a wonderful set of awards!
