Isobel Davies, Suanoi Sophonpanich, Toby Edgar Davies, Cesar Ntamushobora
Entrants are encouraged to explore the vast wealth of material from five hundred years of songwriting, prose, and poetry, of writers and composers worldwide who employ the English language.
Prizes Awarded:
Isobel Davies
First Prize – £300 sponsored by Catherine Lambert
Suanoi Sophonpanich
Second Prize – £200 sponsored by Catherine Lambert
Toby Edgar Davies
Third Prize – £100 sponsored by Una Warnes
Cesar Ntamushobora
Speech Prize – £100 for the best spoken element sponsored by Lynda Morgan
Selected prize winners will be offered the opportunity to perform in the AESS’s Prize Winners Concert
Our thanks to everyone who took part, to our sponsors and judges –
Teresa Cahill, Marilyn Cutts and Prof. Robert Saxton.
The co-ordinator is Carolyn Richards. Our thanks to her.
AESS Catherine Lambert Junior Song Prize review 2025
The Catherine Lambert 2025 Junior Song Prize was held in March at St Paul’s Girls’ School in front of a panel of three adjudicators, Teresa Cahill, Marilyn Cutts and Robert Saxton.
Eight candidates who, between them, sang an impressively wide range of English song repertoire across four centuries from Dowland to Chilcott. The recitations were also evidently well researched, displaying theatre excerpts and poetry from Shakespeare to WH Auden.
The panellists were unanimous that there arises considerable difficulty in adjudicating singers who are evidently at noticeably different stages of vocal development. The winner, for example, is capable of giving a professional standard recital for, say, a music club, whereas certain other entrants require time to develop not only vocal maturity, but also performance experience and skills.
Varying degrees of style were also evident, some singers understanding in considerable detail the necessity of knowing and clearly understanding aspects of the heritage/tradition of the chosen repertoire, while others presented their songs in a manner related to the world of commercial music. This is not necessarily ‘wrong’ but is stylistically questionable and creates a specific problem as regards adjudication.
There were some truly promising young singers in what was a most enjoyable and fulfilling afternoon for audience and panel. Special thanks should also go to the accompanists and to the indefatigable Carolyn Richards for her outstanding skills as both compere and administrator!
Robert Saxton April 2025
