Festival attracts new sponsors

Ballymena Festival has announced new sponsors, opportunities and awards for promising young musicians.
Eva Richards Winner of the Beggs and Partners Instrumental Award is pictured with the 2013 Adjudicator Helen Deakin and Mr Beggs ( Sponsor ).  Since winning the Award, Eva won the 3013 Northern Ireland Musician of the Year, spent two weeks in Minnesota, USA at an International Cello course and most recently gained a place in the 2014 National Youth Orchestra of Great BritainEva Richards Winner of the Beggs and Partners Instrumental Award is pictured with the 2013 Adjudicator Helen Deakin and Mr Beggs ( Sponsor ).  Since winning the Award, Eva won the 3013 Northern Ireland Musician of the Year, spent two weeks in Minnesota, USA at an International Cello course and most recently gained a place in the 2014 National Youth Orchestra of Great Britain
Eva Richards Winner of the Beggs and Partners Instrumental Award is pictured with the 2013 Adjudicator Helen Deakin and Mr Beggs ( Sponsor ). Since winning the Award, Eva won the 3013 Northern Ireland Musician of the Year, spent two weeks in Minnesota, USA at an International Cello course and most recently gained a place in the 2014 National Youth Orchestra of Great Britain

The Victor Ross Memorial Prize (£250) will be awarded for the Best Performance in the Open String Classes: violin, viola, cello and harp. The winners of all these classes will also be considered for the Beggs & Partners Instrumentalist of the Year award and a top prize of £300.

Black Advertising, another new sponsor, are sponsoring the new class for primary school Instrumentalist of the Year. With bursaries of £100 in total, this class is aimed at young instrumentalists who have achieved grade 3 standard. For the more advanced musicians there will be a Programme Class sponsored by Cllr Declan O’Loan with a £200 first prize aimed at musicians who are post-Grade 8.

The Durston-Olphert Trophy and Bursary will be awarded for another new class for young musicians to perform a movement from any unaccompanied Bach partite, sonata or Suite.

There will also be the Victor Ross Memorial Award in memory of the MV Victor Ross tanker which became part of the British Merchant Navy Fleet during World War Two. The second engineer officer was Alexander McFarland and this award is sponsored by one of his grandsons.