The Ryleys School in Alderley Edge has had another exceptional set of results in this year’s hotly contested Alderley Edge Music, Speech and Drama Festival.
With this year’s event proving to be the biggest and best ever, with over 2,700 children taking part, the competition was fierce across all categories. However, the School’s strength in the performing arts was evident as pupils collected an impressive 19 First Places.
The Junior Choir were awarded First Place in their category, with the adjudicator congratulating the group on an uplifting and confident performance.
Not to be outdone, the Senior Choir also picked up a First Place with an atmospheric performance, whilst The Ryleys Singers from the Small Choral Group category were pipped into second place by a single point, despite receiving an ‘outstanding’ score. The Chamber Choir were awarded a Second Place, with the adjudicator commenting on the “style and panache” of their performance.
In the Speech and Drama category, the School collected an impressive 7 First Places, with 4 of those being awarded to Oliver Rushton from Prestbury – an amazing talent at just 9 years old! Oliver then went on to be awarded the prestigious Sara Roache Memorial Trophy for his outstanding contribution to junior drama in the 2012 Festival.
Oliver was also invited to perform at the exclusive Gala Celebration on Saturday evening, along with Timothy Parkinson for his violin solo and The Ryleys Singers from the Small Choral Group category.
Headmaster Pat Barrett said “This has been another fantastic year at the Festival for The Ryleys, with some truly inspirational performances. Each year, the children grow in confidence and rise to the challenge of public performance, demonstrating how important the performing arts are in a fully rounded education.”
This year’s Festival has been even more poignant as it is Pat and Barbara Barrett’s final year at The Ryleys. Their presence and invaluable support at so many of the children’s performances will be sorely missed at future festivals.
This is a member post by Caroline Slater.
Photo: Oliver Rushton.
