The second weekend of performances at the Woodley Festival centred on Piano and Verse and Prose classes which were enjoyed at the Oakwood Centre by delighted audiences of proud family and friends on Saturday 13th March and Sunday 14th March.

Colin Brown, Co-Chair of the Festival, said; "This weekend was a very busy one at the Oakwood Centre with three performances happening simultaneously all day each day. The young people involved work so hard in preparation for their performances."

The youngest competitor of the weekend, five year old Sam O'Leary, won the Year 2 and Under Verse Speaking class with adjudicator Anne Harris Norman enthusing that she had "never before awarded such a high mark to such a young child."

Father and daughter, Shaun and Abi Sheppard, were delighted to walk away with the Mary O'Loan Trophy for the winning performance in the Family Verse Speaking class.

New for the 2010 Woodley Festival was a TV presenter class won by Rebecca Whyatt.

Robert Cheung won the 11 Years and Under Piano Recital Class, the youngest of the recital classes, which requires participants to play a balanced programme of 2 or 3 pieces.

Annika and Sahil Pau won the Piano Duet aged 11 and Under Class. During his adjudication Anthony Williams enthused "Thank you for a thoroughly enjoyable class, there's something special about playing duets, such fun - as is listening to them! Trying to choose a winner was very difficult - you were all so good."

Charles Yang won the 7 Years & Under Piano Solo Class. Co-chair, Colin Brown, said "the 6 and 7 year old pianists were absolutely charming" and said to the youngsters "I'd like to introduce a very special lady, Ann Manning, she's our Fairy Godmother. 5 years ago, the festival was having money problems, and MANNINGUK came to our rescue - and they've helped us ever since."

The Festival are very much looking forward to next weekend when further Piano and Verse Classes will be held in the Oakwood Centre all day on Saturday and Sunday, and Choral Verse Speaking and Group Mime Classes will be held for the first time in The Myra McCulloch Theatre on Reading University's Bulmershe Campus on Saturday morning.

Tickets are just £2 per adult (children enter free of charge) for a entire day of entertainment. Visit the festival website at www.woodleyfestival.org.uk for more information.

The Festival organisers were delighted to welcome Anthony Williams, Anne Harris Norman and Priscilla Morris to adjudicate the numerous classes held in three locations within the Oakwood Centre over the weekend.

Anthony Williams is an experienced and busy adjudicator who has written numerous articles and books on piano teaching and regularly presents lecture-recitals and seminars on performance, repertoire and the art of teaching. Juliet Bruce, Chairman of the Pianoforte Section of the Woodley Festival, was delighted to welcome Anthony for his sixth visit to the Festival in fifteen years. Anthony is a very popular adjudicator who gives excellent feedback and even demonstrates his comments as he talks to each participant after their performances. We were particularly delighted this year to hear Anthony perform a piece himself as part of the Bi-Centenary celebrations of Schumann's birth. The Colin Singer Schumann Award was given to Charlotte Hawkins who performed in the Open Class.

Anne Harris Norman, a former teacher and Head of Drama, has been an adjudicator for the Federation of Festivals and an examiner for the English Speaking Board and Guildhall School of Music & Drama since the 1980's. More recently she was pleased to become an examiner for Poetry Vanguard. Anne will be very busy at the Festival again next weekend when she returns to adjudicate more Verse. Prose, Acting, Mime and Choral Speaking Classes.

Priscilla Morris founded her own drama school in 1972 where she continues to work with children and adults at all levels. Since joining the LAMDA board in 1986, she has examined throughout Great Britain and Ireland as well as internationally. She is particularly in demand for her Practical Shakespeare workshops which have been given in many locations including Singapore and Bermuda.

Winner of the 11 Years and Under Piano Recital Class, Robert Cheung, played Seven Good Humoured Variations on a Ukrainian Folk Song by Kabalevsky and Jackson Street Blues by Martha Mier.

	Verse Speaking Year 2&U winner, five year old Sam O'Leary
	Family Verse Speaking winners Shaun and Abi Sheppard)
	TV Presenter class winners with adjudicator Priscilla Morris, (from left to right): Cathal O'Driscoll, Rebecca Whyatt , Katie Lloyd & Bobby Witney6
	11 years&U Piano Recital Class partcipants with adjudicator, Anthony Williams, are: Louis Rushton & Imre Gerrits, Annika & Sahil Pau, Ethan & Joshua Brown, Imogen & Annabel Taylor, Lucy Hobson & Emily Reid, and Rosie & Alex Griffin.
	7 years&U Piano Solo Class left to right: Charles Yang, James Dundas, Saskia Frayling, Ellie Cleveland, Anastasia Mcdonald, Tabitha Ludeman and Dylan Maidens with their adjudicator, Anthony Williams and the sponsor, Ann Manning from MANNINGUK.
	Grade 2 Piano Soloists with Anthony Williams
	Yr13&U Group Acting winners, 'Blackout'
	11 years&U Piano Duet Class with Anthony Williams