Stratford

A full house of members, parents, friends and performers was greeted centre stage by the Scottish bonnetted bust of "Will MacShakespeare", which viewed the platform, grand piano and splendid harp; colour injected by the cross of St. Andrew and the Scottish Standard, all framed by a magnificent pair of floral displays, designed and arranged by Shirley Dodds, wife of Alastair the concert MC. The performers responded to deliver a diverse, lively and quality concert from Grandjany to Gershwin.

Outstanding among the many excellent performances were ten-year-old Amy Kate Walsh who sang Heather on the Hill and Summertime and Michael Gunn with Baker Street and Fly me to the Moon performed superbly on his saxophone. The wind instruments were well represented with Angela Pell Walpole, accompanied by her teacher Sue Fairhurst, playing the clarinet Suite from a Victorian Garden by Paul Reade. Also accompanied by her piano teacher Rosemary Robson, Lydia le Page offered a mature flute rendition of Dvorak's Humoresque, returned to the Celtic theme with a foot-tapping selection of Scottish Dances and Irish jigs. Twelve-year-old Sam Rooney, supported by big brother Elliot at the piano, gave an endearing and confident Somewhere over the Rainbow on his trumpet. The Stratford Music Centre's recorder ensemble, Celtic Sound, gave its first public performance under the direction and leadership of Jasmine Brown who was the music director for the whole concert. Their well chosen Scottish and Irish tunes was presented with style and confidence.

Ben Williams gave a fine start to the second half with a challenging Prelude No 1 by Grandjany. He also accompanied, with sensitive touch, his Warwick School mates, two accomplished basses, Chris Byrne and Max Hickman. Chris's Hippopotamus Song (Flanders and Swan) and Max's Sea Fever (John Ireland) were particularly well presented and received. Lloyd Webber's Pie Jesu provided sisters Helen and Sarah Wilkes an opportunity to show their clear and naturally musical voices.

There was great strength on the Hall's Bluthner piano: Mollie O'Niel played Greig's Wedding Day at Troldhaugen with confidence and style. Elliot and Sam Rooney performed Mike Connick's lively duet, On Your Marks, which was a lead in to Elliot's performance of Liszt's Hungarian Rhapsody. Richard Norris gave an assured and sensitive performance of Schubert's Impromptu in E flat before releasing his creative talents in the form of rousing variations on the Corries' Flower of Scotland.

The concert started with The Shoestrings, a scratch group of ten-year-olds from the Stratford Music Centre's Theatre Group; despite some difficulty with the Scottish words and cadence their selection of four well-known Scottish songs, got the concert off to a lively start. The other choral group, Celtic Spirit, sang Sinnerman delightfully and then charmed their audience with a touching and beautiful Spirit of the Dance which was sung and signed, tunefully and ably led by Francesca Earnshaw under the direction of Carole Bradshaw. This group is part of the choir of Blackminster Middle School, Evesham, where Jasmin Brown is head of music.

The concert was brought to a close with colourful and lively displays from small groups from the Mary McCarthy-Felton School of Dancing and the Cheltenham Scottish Society's Highland Dance class, teacher Pat Jackson, which was accompanied by Pipe Major Iain Willox of the St Andrew's Pipe Band, Cheltenham.