CELEBRATION CONCERT – MUSIC AND THE DEAF Music and the Deaf celebrated their 4th annual concert in July, performing for the first time in Manchester. The venue was the concert hall of the Royal Northern College of Music which, in addition to having a grand piano, has an impressive pipe organ. Performers at the concert included the Deaf Youth Orchestra, the Doncaster College for the Deaf percussionists, the Hi-Notes Ensemble and The Thorn Grove Primary School Singers and Signers. Music and the Deaf was founded by Paul Whittaker OBE in 1988 and it has gone from strength to strength since then. The capacity audience were treated to a spectacular opening performed by the Doncaster College for the Deaf and the Deaf Youth Orchestra percussionists – Moribayassa. With its strong African beat it was perfectly in keeping for the World Cup Final which would be played later that day ! The second half of the programme was the musical production “Busted” which featured singing and signing, telling about the travels of the Busted Bus. It was colourful, very entertaining and received a standing ovation from the audience. (See “busted” page). The first half of the concert, however, showcased the talents of several individuals and groups, delighting the crowd with the sheer variety of the music performed. Young Liam Gill gave a spirited vocal rendition of “Consider Yourself” from Oliver, rock fans clapped along with an amazing version of Deep Purple’s “Smoke on the Water” by Alex Palmer, Katy and Chris Stockings and even the conductors showed off their talents with a piano solo by Danny Lane of “On Wings of Song” plus an organ recital of “Wedding” by Paul Whittaker. But the performer whole stole the show – for the first half at least – was young James Holt. Pianist and composer, James amazed the audience with his own composition – a Jazz Improvisation. His hands flew expertly across the whole range of the keyboard, fingers dancing effortlessly – transporting the audience to the world of the Parisian piano jazz bar. What’s more he made it look so easy. A very talented young man who should go far. Another talented, deaf musician and cochlear implant user is Hanna Newsome-Boardman. 10 year old Hanna plays cornet and joined the orchestra when she was 8. She was awarded The Dorothy Higgins Memorial Award for Outstanding Musicianship – “Deaf Youth Musician of the Year 2010” – a wonderful achievement for such a young musician. Paul Whittaker, Danny Lane and the rest of the team at Music and the Deaf are to be congratulated for their achievements. Theirs is a truly inspirational project. For further information go to the Music and the Deaf website: http://www.matd.org.uk