Young musicians deliver platinum performance and help raise thousands for charity
More than 150 pupils at a Shropshire school participated in a weekend full of music to win two top awards and raise over £2,500 for good causes.
The talented youngsters from Wrekin College staged a sold-out charity concert on a Saturday earlier this month and then scooped two platinum awards at the National Concert Band Festival Regional Finals on the following day during the bumper weekend.
If that wasn’t enough, they returned to school on the Monday after delighting those two packed events to attend final rehearsals for their annual Christmas concert - another sell-out.
The string of musical successes come alongside one of the school’s youngest pupils, Toby, being selected to perform French Horn in the main orchestra of the National Children’s Orchestra of Great Britain.
Toby, now in year seven, began his musical journey at Wrekin Prep and performed with both Wrekin’s Concert Band and Jazz Band at the NCBF regional finals where each ensemble picked up the top platinum accolade.
Toby is also part of the Wrekin Chapel Choir. They joined forces with the Seindorf Beaumaris Youth Band for the Gala Youth Charity Concert. The event proved a resounding success, raising over £2,500 which has been divided between Great Ormond Street Hospital and a local charity, selected by Beaumaris Youth Band and based in their native Anglesey.
Director of Music Simon Platford MBE said he was left feeling both privileged and humbled to see the efforts of so many young people to not only give up their time to help others but to strengthen the future of music in the UK across a memorable weekend.
“It was the best kind of mad musical weekend! Gathering first for those rehearsals on Saturday afternoon, followed by the concert and then back again Sunday morning to load up our instruments and head to Abraham Darby Academy in Madeley, for the regional finals,” said Mr Platford.
“The young people can be rightly proud of the music they performed throughout the weekend. They dedicate months of hard work and commitment that goes into making these things happen. For over 120 young people to give up their Saturday night to perform to raise money for people less fortunate than themselves is very humbling.”
The Wrekin College Concert Band and Jazz Bands platinum winning programmes mean they have now qualified for the national NCBF finals in April.
