Singers praised as 94th festival gets under way

One early highlight came when Caistor student Heather Peers won two major awards, the Katie Graham Cup for most promising singer and a Rotary Club of Brigg bursary to further her music studies.

Adjudicator Sam Dunkley was full of praise.

“Singing here gives all of the performers a real experience on their musical journey,” he said.

“There was a fantastic standard and some really enjoyable performances – and that enjoyment factor is the most important thing. There was some high-quality music.”

Heather made it a double when she won the light opera section (18 and under) and completed a hat-trick with a win in solo singing from the shows, scoring a mark of 86 in her class.

Another winner was Pearl McCann, of Caistor, who won the solo singing for girls of 10 and 11 years.

Evie Chappell, of St Mary’s Roman Catholic Primary School, was second, while Eva Phillips, also of St Mary’s, came third.