Bewdley Youth Festival held the 5th annual Wyre Forest Young Musician of the Year competition last Saturday in St. George’s Hall, Bewdley, where the audience was “delighted by the standard of performances from young musicians aged between 12 and 17”.

A spokesman added: “The standard of the competition was very high and the judges, pianist and accompanist Angie Allard, musician Oliver Carpenter and head judge, choral leader Alastair Elliott, had difficult decisions to make on the winners of the various categories.”

The winners of the categories were as follows:

Best Solo Instrumentalist: Jack MacGonigle (Piano) from Bewdley School.

Best Singer: Molly Hipkins from Kidderminster College.

Best Performer 14 and Under: Connie Ertas (Singer) from Bewdley School.

Joint Winners Best Composition: Tom Southam of Stourport and Izzy O’Dowd of Bewdley.

Best Group Performance: Infinite Sauce from Stourport High School

Winner of the overall category of Wyre Forest Young Musician of the Year was Molly Hipkins of Kidderminster College who delivered “a powerful and emotional performance of I loved you too much by Drew Gasparini”.

The spokesman added: “During the judging interval there was a fine performance from the 2018 Musician of the Year, pianist Danny Bold.”

Prizes were donated by The Helen Mackaness Trust, Worley’s Strings and Things, Stourport and Serious Studios, Stourport.

The festival also thanked the Elmley Foundation, Bewdley Town Council, The Mug House and Angry Chef Restaurant, The Rotary Club of Bewdley and The Kidderminster Lions Club for their support.