Celeste Iselin, a 16-year-old pupil at Ashby School, won Ashby Rotary's Young Musician Competition earlier this month.

This annual competition, staged at Ashby School, was held earlier this year to allow competitors the opportunity of progressing to the national Rotary event.

Celeste played the Sonate Spiritual by Jean Hubeau on the trumpet and was congratulated by the adjudicators for her performance.

She will now go forward to the next stage of the District competition. The final will be held at Dixie Grammar School, Market Bosworth on February 28.

Eleven-year-old Effie Bowman gave an accomplished performance on the harp of Au Bord du Ruisseau by H. Rene.

She qualified for the next stage in the Junior Solo Instrumental and the Vocalist categories for 6-10-year-olds.

In the Intermediate Section (11-13 years), two instrumentalist competitors, Ava Jenkins and Suzanne Iselin were selected to proceed to the next stage and Ava will also compete in the Intermediate Vocalist Section.

Ava, who played Ragamuffin by Pam Wedgwod, won the Fred Williams Musicianship Award which recognises young musicians who demonstrate high levels of musicality regardless of experience or technical ability.

It was presented by the Williams' family in memory of Fred, a Rotarian of many years' standing who had been an enthusiastic supporter of young musicians in the town.

Ashby Rotary Young Musician entrants with adjudicators Bruce Parry and Tom Stanyard

There was spirited competition in the Senior Section eventually won by Rotary 2024 Young Musician Celeste Iselin.

Hannah Matthews, the 2019 Rotary Young Musician, entertained the audience on her trumpet while adjudication was taking place.

When she left Ashby School she was accepted by the Royal Birmingham Conservatoire where she studied for four years and qualified with a First Class degree.

She gained much orchestral experience during her student years and has now been accepted by both the Royal Ballet Sinfonia and the City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra's side by side schemes leading to professional work with both orchestras.

Fran and Susie Williams present the Fred Williams Musicianship Award to Ava Jenkins

Adjudicators Bruce Parry and Tom Stanyard told competitors how impressed they were with all of the performances and gave each of them helpful comments for the future.

Ashby Rotary President Paul Cook praised all of the entrants and thanked parents and teachers for their support for the competition. He said: "We are most grateful to the School for the use of their premises again and my thanks go to the adjudicators for their expertise and to competition organiser Rotarian John Sedgley and his team for another successful event."