"Habs fostered individuality even when teaching the basics."
	Peter Oppenheimer, Fellow, Christ Church College, Oxford

Music Festival final 2010

The annual Music Festival got underway with three and a half days of elimination rounds –more than in previous years due to the huge number of entries.

The performances in the first round were of a universally high standard and provided variety and entertainment to all. After three and a half exciting and varied days and much deliberation among the staff, twenty-eight performances were selected to go through to the Semi-Finals. The first Semi Final took place on the evening of Tuesday 22nd and saw a wide variety of performances, ranging from piano to electric guitar, double bass to tabla. The second Semi Final on Thursday 24th saw the competitors’ performances interspersed by Wind Sinfonia, Flute Ensemble, Fast-Track Band and String Orchestra and allowed boys to showcase their talents ranging from percussion, to voice to French horn.

Of these talented performers, fourteen were put through to compete in the thoroughly enjoyable Final on Tuesday 29th June. The sticky evening did not spoil the vibrant atmosphere and there was a real sense of support for all of the performers from the audience and their peers, despite the fact that it was a competition. At the end of the evening, the audience had the opportunity to voice their opinion in their vote for the Audience Prize. After a performance from last year’s winners “Incendium”, all finalists were presented with a trophy and congratulated for their success.

It was a very close vote however the Audience Prize was awarded to Edward Jeans for his performance of the third movement of Rachmaninov’s Cello Sonata in G minor. It then fell to the external adjudicator, Robert Max, to make the most difficult decision of the evening. He thanked each and every boy for their wonderful performances, but in the end announced that with his rendition of The Favourite on xylophone, the Young Musician of the Year 2010 was George Menon.

Our congratulations go to them both, along with all the boys who took part and all the staff involved in organising and running the Habs Music Festival 2010.