Budding Celine Dions and Jon Bon Jovis from Ashville took the stage in front of more than 1,000 people for the school’s biggest showcase of musical talent of the year.
Pupils from Ashville sang, drummed and strummed through a three-hour musical extravaganza at the town’s Royal Hall, ranging from Beethoven to S Club 7, Debussy to Guns N Roses, Schubert to Coldplay.
Every pupil in Ashville Senior School took part in the annual House Music Competition, which is the culmination of weeks of hard work and is fully coordinated by the pupil House Captains and Musical Directors.
Among the musical maestros performing was Thomas Heath, a winner at both Harrogate and Aldborough Festivals, who played his own composition on drums, entitled Rhythm.
Head of Ashville, Rhiannon Wilkinson, said:
“Once again, the event hit all the high notes and congratulations go to every pupil to who took part.
“With the full range of musical genres on display, we were treated to classical vocal and instrumental solos, instrumental ensembles from the world of rock and pop, and a rousing large choir performance by each House.
“It was great to see – and hear – such diverse musical talent take centre stage in such a stunning setting.”
Among the songs performed were Eleanor Rigby by The Beatles, Livin’ On A Prayer by Bon Jovi, My Heart Will Go On by Celine Dion and Slipping Through My Fingers by ABBA.
The whole audience got to their feet for a singalong of The Proclaimers’ crowd-pleaser I’m Gonna Be (500 Miles) to conclude the event.
Adjudicator Craig Ratcliffe, a highly-accomplished conductor and educator from Harrogate, was given the task of choosing the winners.
His scorecard showed that just five points separated all the Houses, with category winners including:
- Vocal Ensemble – Windermere House – Lovely by Billie Eilish & Khalid
- Instrumental Solo – Duckworth House – Reverie by Debussy, played by Finley
- Vocal Solo - Duckworth House – Control by Zoe Wees performed by Beth
- Large House Choir - Duckworth House - Blame it on the Boogie by The Jacksons
- Instrumental Ensemble – Riverdale - Don't Stop Me Now by Queen
The overall winner was Duckworth House, followed by Ellis, Riverdale and Windermere.
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