Hilarians sing their way to the top at Music Festival 2016!

 What's a T&T Music Festival without the Bishop Anstey High School Choir?

Well, if you're posing that question to a Hilarian, you'd be sure to be met with a face filled with total perplexity - our track record speaks volumes!

This year, the Trinidad & Tobago Music Festival Association celebrates its Diamond Jubilee, and the 31st instalment of the competition commenced on Valentines Day. Students and schools from North, South, East and West Trinidad have been flocking to various venues across the twin-island Republic in several categories, in the hopes of reigning supreme among their musically-inclined peers.

The competition is now hosted under the patronage of the Ministry of Community Development, Culture & The Arts, whose line Minister is Dr. The Honourable Nyan Gadsby-Dolly, and has a long and illustrious history of nurturing young talent in our land. From the onset in 1948, the Music Festival has a long-standing tradition of encouraging the appreciation of music. So seriously was this responsibility undertaken by the Government of the Republic of Trinidad & Tobago, that an Act of Parliament was introduced "to promote and hold music festivals and to do all other such things as are incidental to the holding of such festivals."

Bishop Anstey High School made their mark once again this year, with a magnificent performance of "Wind of the Western Sea" in the Class JR-C3 for Primary or Secondary School Choir: Girls (15 years & under). The rendition earned the choir, directed by Ms. Lorraine Granderson, first place with 87 points. Holy Name Convent Junior placed second place with 85 points, and Sacred Heart Girls R.C. Choir came in at a close 3rd with 84 points.

Front Page-worthy: The Bishop Anstey High School Choir on the cover of the Sunday Guardian on Sunday 21st February 2016.

Adjudicator for the competition, Professor David Hoult, was very much impressed by the Hilarians' delivery of the piece, saying that the girls used "good dynamics of the music and perfect diction." Having studied at Manchester University, the Royal Northern College of Music and Lancaster University, as well as established himself as a professional singer (and brass player) and media personality with the BBC, we're sure that the girls were thrilled with the feedback from this former Principal of Leeds College of Music.

Ms. Lorraine Granderson.

The Bishop Anstey High School Choir seemed to have taken the month of February by storm - the award-winning choir was also recently invited as special guest performers at a concert hosted by Dr. David Michael Rudder during the Carnival 2016 Season. Led again by Ms. Granderson, their melodic voices for a special rendition of "Song for a Lonely Soul" certainly stood out for the packed audience at the Hotel Normandie - a performance which reportedly left attendees enthralled.

We can't say that we're surprised: Ms. Granderson has been helping the BAHS Choir make history all over recently!

Congratulations, ladies!