For the first time at Farleigh, our 101 pianists were firmly in the spotlights of the Recital Hall as we held our inaugural Piano Festival. Rarely given the opportunity to shine on the big stage, we celebrated all of our pianists' considerable talents and hard work in a four-hour Festival, in which the children were split into five competitive classes.

A large, supportive and attentive audience quickly displaced any nerves on the children's faces and our two adjudicators, Mrs Rockhill and Mrs Weager were tactful, witty and insightful in their judgements, awarding a first place and runner-up in each category. The morning ended with four pairs of children performing duets. It was a fantastic way to celebrate the piano, which is our most popular instrument and we are very grateful to everyone involved for instilling such confidence and enthusiasm for this new venture, which will be repeated again next year.

The winners were:

Class 1 (Beginner): Emily Illingworth
Class 2 (Grade 1): Rosamund Mason
Class 3 (Grade 2): Alessandria Majendie
Class 4 (Grade 3 and above): Digger Carrick-Buchanan
Class 5 (Duets): Scarlett Buchanan & Lily Blosse-Lynch