Ballymena Festival now in full swing at Braid Arts Centre

Phoebie McIlroy of Carnaghts PS who competed in the Under 11 violin solo at the Ballymena Music Festival. INBT 10-103JC

Instrumental Music have had an excellent week, as have Traditional Music.

Both have produced a very high standard of performance every day.

Vocal and Speech and Drama are continuing this week, with Modern Dance competitions taking place next week.

Highlights this week include:

Tuesday 3 March: Primary school choirs at 10.15am. Junior Repertoire (solo) under 18 years at 7.00pm.

Wednesday 4 March: Primary school choirs at 9.30am.

At 7.00pm, the Northern Ireland Singer competition, in which the winner receives a £400 bursary provided by Ballymena Borough Council.

Thursday 5 March: The Male Voice Repertoire, with a first prize of £300 takes place in the evening.

Saturday 7 March: This is the last day of the Vocal competitions, followed by the Gala Evening.

In the afternoon, the Female Voice Repertoire takes place with a first prize of £300 sponsored by Adair Arms Hotel. In the evening, starting at 7.00pm, there is the Montgomerys Young Voice award of £100 for first place, £50 for second.

This event is followed by demonstrations by outstanding performers representing traditional music, Irish and modern dance, as well as instrumental music.

The evening climaxes with the competition for the Stevenson Award, the event in which the first prize is £500.

So, quite a range of talent on show.

The Festival Committee cordially invites everyone to come along to the Braid Centre, prepared to be entertained by some exceptionally talented performers.