The Woodley Music and Arts Festival kicked off this weekend with the Instrumental and Choir sections.

26 Choirs competed on Saturday 6th March at Embrook School in Wokingham, the highest number yet to attend the Festival which saw more than 2000 people through its doors on Saturday. The youngest children competed in the Infant Choir class for children in Year 2 and under (age 7 and under) where Walter Infant School, Wokingham emerged triumphant to the great joy of their music teacher, Rosemary Morris.

Rosemary said; "I am very proud of the choir. They did all the things I asked them to do and sang with great enjoyment. I know their parents felt very proud too."

Although the majority of the choirs were made up of children up to the age of 14, there were a couple of classes open to all age groups. 'Signature' were particularly delighted to walk away with the Cantilena Trophy for best Vocal Group.

Other winners included the Dolphin School Choir, The Marist Preparatory School Chamber Choir and 'Cantabile' from Holme Grange School.

Hilary Davan Wetton, who acted as adjudicator for the day's competitions, is one of Britain's most versatile and dynamic conductors. He is Conductor Emeritus both of the Milton Keynes City Orchestra and of the Guildford Choral Society. He is also the Musical Director of three major choirs, Director of the Wellington College Symphony Orchestra and a regular broadcaster on Radio 3 and on Classic FM.

Hilary said: "I thoroughly enjoyed my day at the Woodley Festival. The standard was high and it's a passion of mine to encourage young people to sing. What a good music teacher does is priceless. The value of musical development for all round intellectual growth and indeed increased life expectancy is well documented."

Denese Gray, Chairman of the Vocal Section for the Woodley Festival, said: "Organising a Festival on this scale is a huge challenge. I am so grateful to the incredible committee who give an enormous amount of their time so generously and the wonderful band of helpers who ensured everything ran so smoothly."

The instrumental section, held at the Oakwood Centre in Woodley on Saturday and Sunday, featured 11 different instruments and enjoyed the largest entry yet to the Festival's Brass Solo Class.

Louise Head won the Under 12 Brass Solo Class to the delight of her grandparents who first attended the Festival over 30 years ago when their daughter, Lucy, who is also Louise's Mum, began competing in the Festival.

Trevor Hughes is a graduate of the Royal College of Music and an Associate of the Royal College of Organists. Equally at home in a wide range of musical styles, Trevor has conducted many musicals and played keyboards in a number of West End shows as well as having a distinguished career as a Choral Society Musical Director.

Trevor said; "The Woodley Festival has the most wonderful, friendly atmosphere. I witnessed lots of really good, musically accomplished performances on a great variety of musical instruments."

Jackie Baines, Chairman of the Instrumental Section for the Woodley Festival, said: "The standard has been so high yet again this year. We really appreciate the hard work and dedication of the entrants and their teachers."

Colin Brown, Co-chair of the Festival, said "The grade 1-3 classes, along with our beginner's classes, are the seed-corn of the festival. We received 87 entries to these classes alone for instrumental and piano. One of the many joys of being involved is seeing so many young performers come back year after year, and seeing how they have grown in so many ways".

	Walter Infant School Choir winners (picture courtesy of Lee Tuckett, www.photosatworkgalleries.co.uk)
	Cantilena Trophy Winners, Signature (picture courtesy of Lee Tuckett, www.photosatworkgalleries.co.uk)
	13 year old flautist, Sophie Baylis, was delighted to receive the Durant Cup for most promising instrumentalist, aged under 16
	Brass soloists with adjudicator, Trevor Hughes. Left to right: Charlie Dart (trumpet), Gregory Holt (trumpet), Richard Lee (E flat bass), Peter Robinson (trombone), Louise Head (horn), Louis Rushton (trombone)
	Grade 1-3 Instrumentalists, from left to right: Catherine Abela (violin), Olivia Harding (oboe), Rebekah Clarke (cello, seated), Olivia Dunseath (flute), Olivia Lee (clarinet), Abigail Hall (trumpet), Sebastian Blackwell (trumpet) and Henry Leakey (violin).