Surprise hit of last week's
Harrogate Musical Festival was a choir of schoolchildren which beat adult competitors on
their own ground by winning the Sykes Silver Challenge Shield in the mixed voice choirs
class and also a Silver Challenge Cup for their madrigal singing.
They were pupils of Thornes House Grammar School, Wakefield. Highest praise however must
go to the chief musical spirit among them, their music mistress and conductor, Miss
M.Markland, who not only had the honour of seeing her pupils triumphantly through a stiff
choral test but also accompanied the leader of the tenors, E.Darling to success in the
tenor solo and in the art song class.
Adjudicators, Leslie Woodgate, Dr.C.H.Moody and David Yacamine, were unanimous in their
praise of this school choir's exquisite singing and on Saturday evening when successful
competitors gave a concert in the Royal Hall, a large audience showed an enthusiasm for
the Thornes House choir that far surpassed anything of the kind on past occasions.
Harrogate will welcome another chance of hearing this remarkably trained choir of
youngsters. They have already been booked to visit the Sun Pavilion for a concert during
the summer. |
