Holmfirth High School student Hayley Diamond is in fine tune at Mrs Sunderland Festival

Feb 24 2010 Huddersfield Daily Examiner

TALENTED performers of all ages continued to take to the stage at the Mrs Sunderland Music Festival yesterday.

And one youngster proving she could hit the high notes with the judges was Hade Edge teenager Hayley Diamond.

The 13-year-old impressed with her lively rendition of the song Matchmaker, from the musical Fiddler on the Roof.

And despite tough competition coming from young performers from all over the country, the Holmfirth High School student was named top on the junior musical theatre class for Year 7-9.

Hayley celebrated her first trophy win in the contest with her family and singing teacher Sarah Ogden.

Soprano Sarah, from Brockholes, is herself no stranger to the contest, having won a number of titles over the years including Kirklees Young Musician of the Year. Sarah, a singing teacher with Kirklees Music School, had six pupils in the category and another student, Tonie-Marie Whitley, came third.

Young Hayley seems set to follow in Sarah’s footsteps as the music festival is the second competition she has triumphed in over the past few months.

Hayley said: “I have been singing since I was three-years-old and this is the third singing competition I have entered.

“My parents and my teacher are very proud of me.

“I enjoy singing very much and I am very pleased that I won, especially as I didn’t have a lot of time to prepare for the competition. I have been busy singing and dancing in the pantomime Sinbad at Honley Theatre.”

The Year 9 pupil has her sights set on becoming a professional musical theatre performer and sings and dances at the Huddersfield School of Theatre Dance.

She recently won a trophy for best voice at a regional competition in Goldthorpe, Barnsley and is currently working towards her intermediate ballet exam.

Sheila Hodgson, the school’s co-principal, said: “We’re very proud of Hayley. The standards of the competition are very high and she’s done extremely well to win this accolade.

“She’s an excellent singer and wonderful dancer and has a bright future ahead of her.”

Yesterday Huddersfield Town Hall was filled with music as audiences enjoyed the piano classes, while dramatic readings and poems were also performed.