BUDDING performers from across Berkshire have been showcasing their talents at a prestigious arts festival.
The annual Woodley Festival of Music and Arts returned on March 4, and will continue through until The Gala Finale Concert at the new Michael Malnick Centre, Leighton Park School, on March 26.
Running for the past 52 years, the celebration of arts gives children the ideal platform to hone their skills in front of a live audience, while also receiving valuable feedback from professional adjudicators.
This year, a variety of choir, instrumental, pianoforte, vocal, and speech and drama performances have been enjoyed by audiences featuring entrants’ friends and relatives, as well as members of the public, across three weekends.
Kuan Ang, the festival’s publicity officer, said: “We have been delighted to welcome so many young performers through our doors over the past two weekends of the festival.
“The first weekend saw the choral festival held, as usual, at the Emmbrook School in Wokingham. What a joy it was to have a near-full hall listening to the sound of children and young people singing their hearts out to such a high standard, and culminating with a class of adult choirs sharing their chosen hobby with us all.
“Our adjudicator, the esteemed choral technician, conductor, composer and educationalist, Dr Douglas Coombes, enthralled us all with his interactive, informative and entertaining feedback. A great time was had by the singers and audience alike.”
The Oakwood Centre, Woodley, played host to the speech and drama section the following weekend, with youngsters navigating the arts of verse, prose, acting, musical theatre and public speaking.
Kuan described the atmosphere in the performance rooms as “buzzing with the sound of laughter and music” and hailed the entrants’ impressive offerings.
“The piano section got off to an excellent start last weekend with some very accomplished performances, with several being awarded the outstanding category,” Kuan continued.
“The adjudicator, Anthony Williams, who has been to Woodley many times over the years gave great feedback which was much appreciated by the players, parents and teachers alike.”
The Festival is proud to provide entrants with the ideal setting to boost confidence and self-esteem by performing in front of small, friendly audiences.
Woodley Festival veteran Maddie Fisher, who has dyslexia and struggled with reading, working memory and processing skills, has hugely benefited from participating in the Festival.
Her early efforts in verse and prose classes elicited positive remarks from the section adjudicator, encouraging Maddie to return each year for the next six years. She has won multiple gold and silver medals in the speech and drama section.
Maddie’s mother, Fiona, said: “Undoubtedly Woodley Festival has boosted Maddie’s confidence in public, helping to build her character and assisted in overcoming her inherent difficulties.”
The festival also provides important performance practice for musicians, many of whom have gone on to enjoy success on the national stage.
Reading oboist Ewan Millar, who won the woodwind category final in the 2020 BBC Young Musician competition, took part in the instrumental section at Woodley from a young age.
The Gala Finale Concert will see a select number of performers from this year’s cohort invited back to perform at Leighton Park School.
ManningUK Insurance Brokers has sponsored the event for the past 18 years. Local businesswoman Ann Manning, the company’s managing director, was asked to volunteer at the festival in 2005.
On hearing that the festival was in danger of closure, she didn’t hesitate to step in, keen to see the children and young people who take part in it thrive. Ann has been referred to as Woodley’s ‘fairy godmother’.
