School’s musical maestros among the best

Date published: 26 April 2010

School’s musical maestros among the best

TALENTED musicians from Haslingden High School are among the best in the country.
Year 13 student Alex Saxon, 17, and 13-year-old Owen Middlemas from year eight took part in the National Concert Band Festival Finals in Birmingham and both won Outstanding Soloist Awards.
Alex began playing the flute 10 years ago and now plays alto saxophone, piano and bass guitar while Owen has been playing percussion for seven years.
When he played alto saxophone at Rochdale Music Festival Alex also won through to the final of Future Talent in front of judges from the prestigious Halle orchestra and he picked up the silver medal and a £2,000 prize.
“I have always hired my instruments but now I am going to be able to use the money to buy my own,” he said.
“I just really enjoy music. It has been a huge part of my life and it influences me so much.”
Alex will be studying music performance at Newcastle University and hopes to become a session musician and eventually a music teacher.
He plays with Rochdale Youth Big Band, Rochdale Youth Wind Band, a pop group called Wired and a school soul band The Soul Teachers.
Like Alex, Owen is in Rochdale Wind Band and also Rochdale Junior and Intermediate Big Band, Rochdale Intermediate and Youth Brass Band, Rochdale Youth Orchestra, National Children’s Wind Orchestra, National Children’s Brass Band and United Co-op Milnrow Band.
On the same weekend he won the soloist award he had been away for eight days with the National Children’s Wind Orchestra (NCWO) and so travelled from Hertfordshire to Birmingham, competed and then travelled to Cambridge for another concert with the NCWO.
He said: “I enjoy playing music with other people and I like taking part in contests and seeing all our hard work pay off.”