Top awards for Keeley and George at Herefordshire Performing Arts Festival
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Hereford Cathedral School pupils pulled off some stellar performances at the recent Herefordshire Performing Arts Festival, which saw youngsters from across the county vying for medals for performances in speech and drama, music and dance.
In the Speech and Drama awards, HCS pupils scooped 23 Gold medals, 23 Silver and 24 Bronze medals in categories ranging from sight reading to poetry to improvisation. HCS pupils also enjoyed a huge number of successes in the festival’s music categories.
But two HCS performers – Year 8 pupil George M and music scholar Keeley T in Year 11 – came away with prestigious awards. The pair are picture above with HCS Headmaster Dr Michael Gray.
For the second time, George was named as the winner of the Speech & Drama Award, after entering six categories including solo acting, group improvisation and solo poem. George is a member of the Courtyard’s Youth Theatre group and will be playing the role of Jim Hawkins in the HCS production of Treasure Island in the summer term.
George said that he was “very happy” to have won the award, adding: “It was an amazing moment and I really enjoyed doing the festival. It was worth all the hard work.”
Meanwhile, HCS music scholar Keeley took home the Performer of the Year award after entering a staggering nine of the festival’s music categories, including musical theatre, grade 8 clarinet and string quartet.
“I was really shocked, but it was good to know that all my hard work had paid off, with me practising my pieces. It was a really special moment for me to win this award,” she said.
Keeley plays viola, clarinet and piano at grade 8 standard, and is working towards grade 7 in singing. She sings in Hereford Cathedral School’s Chamber Choir, Chapel Choir and Cantabile Girls’ Choir. She also plays recorder in the HCS Recorder Consort and Gilbert Consort. She is a member of Hereford Youth Orchestra, Hereford Youth Concert Band, the English Symphony Orchestra Youth and Livewire (a pop and rock group in Hereford). Keeley also played one of the witches’ roles in the recent HCS production of Macbeth at The Courtyard.
Huge congratulations to George and Keeley, and to all the HCS pupils who entered this year’s Herefordshire Performing Arts Festival. All were fantastic ambassadors for Hereford Cathedral School.
