Luther Greenwood festival line-up announced

3:10pm Monday 24th November 2008

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TALENTED young people will be in the spotlight at the annual Colne Luther Greenwood Festival.

Singers, dancers, instrumentalists and actors will appear in an evening concert on Saturday at The Muni to crown a day of competition for trophies and medals.

Festival committee chairman Peter Jelley said: “Around 90 per cent of entrants in the festival are aged 18 and under.

“Competing in our festival gives them the opportunity for improve their skills and strive for excellence.

“These are wonderfully talented young people who deserve every encouragement.”

Junior classes have attracted more entrants than last year, with a major increase in the number of instrumentalists.

Competitive classes for singers and instrumentalists will be held at The Muni from 9am and at Colne Parish Church from 9.30am, and speech and drama classes will be at St John’s Methodist Church, Albert Road, from 9am.

The evening concert, starting at 7.30pm, highlights the talent of young people who have done well in previous festivals.

Soloists include trumpeter Kristina Deakin, woodwind player Emily Green, brother-and-sister pianists Natalie and Nicholas Howley, singers Evie Rapson, Charlotte Waters, Lauren Rigby and Chris Harrison, and speech and drama performers Christine Leathley and Laura Arkwright.

Dialect poet Jack Greenwood, from Trawden, will represent veteran competitors The concert will be opened and closed by the Red Rose Singers, from Accrington, and will also feature dancers from the East Lancashire School of Dancing, Colne.

Admission is £3, under 16s go free and there will be a bar.

The competition continues on the following Saturday, December 6, with adult classes at The Muni during the morning and afternoon, followed by the winners’ rose bowl final, light opera class and choral classes from 5.30pm.