The 77th annual Highbridge Festival of The Arts has closed following a successful week of music performances.
St John’s Church in Highbridge hosted the Music Section for the first time at this year’s festival and adjudicator, Donal McCrisken, said it has been a most enjoyable week and that the church was a lovely space for the performances.
He went on to review the week, saying: “Ocarinas, guitars, pianos, recorders, djembe drums and accordions – they were all to be found at Highbridge Festival of the Arts last week.”
“Not to mention singers singing folk songs, sea shanties, spirituals, songs from the shows, classical songs and operatic arias. Oh, and literally hundreds of singers of all ages singing in choirs and in every style you can imagine.”
“If you are tempted to think that a music or arts festival is somewhat niche, that it is only for the narrow specialist or even that it is all about competition then you could not be more wrong.”
“I heard young and not so young performers urge each other on, applaud and cheer their ‘rivals’ and generally enter into a spirit of positivity, inclusivity and cooperation. This was all in the service of music performance, but they will have realised at some level that something very important is happening here: they are celebrating community, friendship and cultural identity in a fun and pleasurable way.”
“They are involved in something which is challenging, exhilarating and downright fun.
If I had any doubt about the latter, I only had to look at the delight on the faces of the
performers, and the spring in their step as they left the festival venue. Playing and
singing music makes you feel good – many of the performers stopped to tell me that.
This was my third visit and more lovely memories have been made.”
Festival Secretary Clare Catcheside and Music Secretary Mary Lawrence have thanked Rev Martin Little and the PCC of St John’s Church for their support of the Festival – many of the entrants praised the acoustics in the church and said how much they had enjoyed performing in the new venue.
Organisers also thanked Burnham Portable Toilet Hire for providing portaloos, which were much needed when over 150 children attended the Festival on Thursday morning with their school choirs and over 60 adult choir members performed on the Saturday, and ASDA for providing parking dispensations for Festival Stewards.
Plans are already being made for the 78th Highbridge Festival of The Arts, which will run from 9th – 21st March 2026, with Music taking place in the second week. So, if you missed this year’s musical performances, please put a note in your diary. More information will be available on the Festival’s website: www.highbridgefestival.org.uk
Saturday 22nd March
Class V15B Vocal Solo Song of Own Choice excluding Pop/Film/Show
1st Clemence Smith
Class V15A Vocal Solo Song of Own Choice excluding Pop/Film/Show
1st Zanna Kingston
Class V16B Vocal Solo Song of Own Choice including Pop/Film/Show
1st Lily Baker
Class V20C Vocal Duet from Stage or Film
1st Lily Baker & Isla Ferguson
Class V4B Vocal Solo Song from Any Musical Show/Film
1st Clemence Smith
2nd Lily Baker
Class V6A Vocal Solo A Humorous Song
1st Zanna Kingston (Honours)
Class V6B Vocal Solo A Humorous Song
1st Lily Baker
Class V16C Vocal Solo Song of Own Choice including Pop/Film/Show
1st Isla Ferguson
Class V5C Vocal Solo Pop Song from Any Decade
1st Isla Ferguson (Honours)
Class V20E Vocal Duet from Stage or Film
1st Rosie Sewell & Zoe Sewell
Class V26E Vocal Group Piece for 6 – 12 Singers
1st Vocalessence (Honours)
Class V21E Vocal Duet in Classical/Baroque Style
1st Frankie Masarik & Rosie Sewell
Class V27E Vocal Group Arranged Pop Song for 6 – 12 Singers
1st Vocalessence (Honours)
Class C30E Choral Two or Three Short Songs with a Common Theme
1st Vocalise (Honours)
2nd Bleadon Belles WI Choir (Honours)
Class 29E Choral Two Contrasting Songs of Worship
1st Vocalise (Honours)
Class 32E Choral Two Songs in Unison
1st Vocalise
2nd Vocalise-Lite
Class C31E Choral Two Contrasting Songs to be Sung in Harmony
1st Bleadon Belles WI Choir (Honours)
2nd Vocalise (Honours)
3rd Vocalise-Lite
Class C34E Choral 15 Minute Show Medley
1st Vocalise (Honours)
Friday 21st March
Class X39C Instrumental Look What I Can Do
Amelia Rose
Class X39B Instrumental Look What I Can Do
Annabelle Chard
Chloe Waters
Imogen Rayner
Madeleine Rayner
Maxim Ballantine
Class X39A Instrumental Look What I Can Do
Ellie-Mae Maries
Ivy Waters
Darcey Solman
Victor Tsang
Class X88B Instrumental Beginners’ Class
1st Annabelle Chard
2nd Imogen Rayner
3rd Maxim Ballantine
Class P53A Piano Duet Pupil & Teacher Duet of Own Choice
1st Victor Tsang (Honours)
Class X88A Instrumental Beginners’ Class
1st Victor Tsang (Honours)
2nd Darcey Solman
3rd Ellie-Mae Maries
Class DRT The Dorothy Reaney Award
1st Lily Baker
2nd Amelia Rose
3rd Alice Phillips
Class X71A Unaccompanied Solos Any Other Instrument
1st George Flynn
2nd Dylan Hill
3rd= Thomas Phillips
3rd= Jacob Warwick
Class V5E Vocal Solo Pop Song from Any Decade
1st Vinnie Triggol
Class V2E Vocal Solo Adult Song of Worship
1st Denise Rogers
Class V14E Vocal Solo Aria from Grand Opera
1st Rosie Sewell
Class V15E Vocal Solo Song of Own Choice excluding Pop/Film/Show
1st Denise Rogers
Class V16E Vocal Solo Song of Own Choice including Pop/Film/Show
1st Lucy Taylor (Honours)
Class V17E Vocal Solo Recital: Three Songs excluding Pop/Film/Show
1st Andy Ewing
Class V4E Vocal Solo Song from Any Musical
1st Lucy Taylor (Honours)
2nd Frankie Masarik
Class V10E Vocal Solo Art Song in Original Language
1st Rosie Sewell (Honours)
Class V12E Vocal Solo Victorian, Edwardian or Music Hall Song
1st Denise Rogers
Class V18E Vocal Solo Recital: Three Songs including Pop/Film/Show
1st Frankie Masarik (Honours)
2nd Andy Ewing
Thursday 20th March
Class C29B2 Choral Two Contrasting Songs of Worship
1st Churchfield Harmony (Honours)
2nd Brent Knoll Primary School Choir
Class C32B Choral Two Songs in Unison
1st Brent Knoll Primary School Choir (Honours)
2nd Churchfield Harmony (Honours)
3rd= St Andrew’s School Choir
3rd= Worle Village Primary School
Class X74 Instrumental Solo Any Instrument Grades 4 – 5
1st Tristan Clark
Class X71E Unaccompanied Solos Any Other Instrument
1st Linda Bond
Class X66C Accompanied Solos Percussion
1st Tristan Clark (Honours)
Class X39E Adult Look What I Can Do
Stogursey Sea Shanty Crew
Class G37E Multi-Discipline Performance
1st Coastline Singers
Class G82 Instrumental Ensemble 3 – 6 Instruments
1st Strummers of Stogursey
Class G85 Instrumental Ensemble 35+ Instruments
1st King Alfred Concert Band
Wednesday 19th March
Class C30B Choral Two of Three Short Songs with a Common Theme
1st Churchfield Harmony (Honours)
2nd Berrow Primary Church Academy
Class 33B Choral Programme of World Music
1st Berrow Primary Church Academy
Class C29B Choral Two Contrasting Songs of Worship
1st St Joseph’s Primary School Choir (Honours)
2nd Berrow Primary Church Academy
Class X62B Recorder Group
1st Westonzoyland School Recorder Group
Class X89 Instrumental Beginners’ Class
1st West Pennard C of E Primary School Djembe Drumming Group
Class G81B Instrumental Groups Classroom Music making 10 – 35 performers
1st West Pennard C of E Primary School Djembe Drumming Group
Class G83B Instrumental Ensemble 7 – 12 Instruments
1st BCA Recorder Group
Class G82A Instrumental Ensemble 3 – 6 Instruments
1st BCA Year 3 Recorder Group
Class X88 Instrumental Beginners’ Class
1st West Pennard C of E Primary School Ocarina Club
Class G81 Instrumental Groups Classroom Music making 10 – 35 Performers
1st West Pennard C of E Primary School Ocarina Club
Class X60B Recorder Solos One or Two Pieces
1st Jessica Wilkin
2nd Alice Walford
Class X61B Recorder Duets One or Two Pieces
1st Alice Walford & Amelie Ingram
2nd Erin McCullum & Ema Dankova
3rd Lea Dankova & Ava Chidgey
Class X61E Recorder Duets One or Two Pieces
1st Christine Davies & Rachel Packer (Honours)
2nd Joyce Rudall & Jill Tolley
Class X62E Recorder Groups One or Two Pieces
1st Toot Suite
Tuesday 18th March
Class P53B Piano Duet Pupil & Teacher Duet of Own Choice
1st Ella Kaya (Honours)
2nd Evie Knibb
3rd Zoe Coburn
Class P48B Piano Solo One Piece of Own Choice
1st Zoe Coburn
2nd= Evie Knibb
2nd= Eddie Carr
3rd Elijah Warwick
Class P52A Piano Duet One Piece of Own Choice
1st Lily Carter
Class P51B Piano Solo One Modern Piece
1st Alice Phillips
2nd Evie Knibb
3rd Eddie Carr
X39A Look What I Can Do
Lily Carter
Class P52B Piano Duet A Duet of own Choice
1st Darcey Thomas & Ella Kaya
Class P54E Piano Trio Any Piano Trio
1st Elijah Warwick, Aria Warwick & Adele Wills
Class P40 Piano Solo Up to Grade 1
1st Iris Hooker
2nd Alice Phillips
3rd Shreya Varinder
Class P41 Piano Solo Grades 2 – 3
1st Lee Smith (Honours)
2nd Shreya Varinder
3rd Ella Kaya
P42 Piano Solo Grades 4 – 5
1st Alex Chang
Class P53C Piano Duet Pupil & Teacher Duet of Own Choice
1st Amelia Rose
2nd Liliana Sak
Class P53E Piano Duet Pupil & Teacher Duet of own Choice
1st Bethan Grace Kahapolarachi
2nd Chrissy Coburn
Class P52E Piano Duet A Duet of Own Choice
1st Bethan Grace & Phil
Class P48C Piano Solo One Piece of own Choice
1st Amelia Rose
2nd Lee Smith
Class P49C Piano Solo Jazz Performance
1st Lee Smith
Class P51C Piano Solo One Modern Piece
1st Lee Smith
Class P50E Piano Solo One Piece in Baroque/Classical/Romantic Style
1st Ben Webster (Honours)
2nd Bernice Ancill
Class P51E Piano Solo One Modern Piece
1st Lee Harper (Honours)
2nd Nicholas Smith
