A TOP competition is going to prove very much a family affair.

For triplet sisters from a Huddersfield school will be competing against each other in this year’s Mrs Sunderland Music Festival.

Eight-year-olds Saniya, Mehwish and Aroosa Ali will all be bidding for glory in Verse Speaking for school year four and under in one of the festival classes.

The girls all go to Spring Grove Junior Infant and Nursery School at Springwood where they are taught by Mr Nadeem Sarwar.

Other youngsters from the school will also be taking part in the big Festival.

Headteacher Mrs Laher, said it was the first time pupils had entered the contest.

She said: “All the children were given the chance to have a go and the triplets thought they would like to take part.

“They enjoy poetry and they’re very expressive.”

Pupils from Spring Grove are also taking part in the Prepared Reading and Bible Reading classes.

Details of the 121st Mrs Sunderland Music Festival have been confirmed.

The prestigious nine-day Huddersfield based event, set up to commemorate Susan Sunderland, a famous soprano soloist from Brighouse, begins on Friday, February 19. It runs until Saturday February 27.

But as a prelude, the prestigious Kirklees Young Musician of the Year contest takes place this Sunday, February 14.

The historic competition pits musicians, vocalists and drama performers against each other in dozens of different classes at venues at Huddersfield Town Hall and the University of Huddersfield.

This year there are almost 1,000 entries in 130 competitive classes including piano solo, unaccompanied folk song, sonnet poem and dialect speaking.

After last year’s record 72 choirs there is a more balanced programme this year with fewer choirs and more speech and drama entries.

First up is the Vocal Weekend which starts at 6.15pm on Friday and a total of 381 solo entries will perform throughout the weekend until 4.30pm on Sunday.

Also on Saturday February 20 percussion classes – including 13 world drumming groups – will take place in the new Phipps Concert Hall at Huddersfield University.

Then from Monday February 22 five days of classes will perform in three daily sessions – 9.30am, 2pm and 6.15pm.

Bible and prepared reading start the week off on Monday.

On Tuesday piano players get their turn with poetry and dialect speaking beginning in the afternoon.

The music continues on Wednesday and Thursday with more piano recitals, brass, string and woodwind.

And on Friday the 42 choirs entries begin singing their hearts out, finishing on Saturday afternoon.

The festival is rounded off with the renowned Gala Evening on Saturday February 27 at 7pm.

It will showcase the outstanding performers from the festival, the prize winning choirs and the newly crowned Kirklees Young Musician of the Year.

For more information visit www.mrs-sunderlandmusic.org.uk

Tickets £7.50 from the Visitor Information Centre in Huddersfield Library or at the box office on the night.

Telephone: 01484 223200.