MUSICAL Year 13 Wellington School student Esta Felix won the Outstanding Performance Award for her singing at the Taunton Festival out of a field of 432.

Festival chairman Martin Parker visited the school to present Esta with her award and said how good her performance was. Many other students also won awards at the festival.

Pianist Anson Tang has secured his place to study at the prestigious Royal Scottish Conservatoire for September and both he and fellow sixth-former Marco Leung are auditioning for the Two Moors Festival shortly.

Wellington School director of Music Andrew Trewhella said: “In the past three years 22 Musicians have achieved a Grade 8 or Diploma level qualification and a further six will be taking Grade 8 or Diploma this term.

“Our musical offering is incredibly diverse, with genres ranging from choral, a cappella and classical orchestras to Big Band, rock and an endless array of vocal styles.”

More than 20 bands and ensembles at the school give students the chance to perform and hone their musical skills.

Local children can also get involved with the musical life of the school through outreach activities including the 450-strong Come & Sing, The Mighty Orchestra and Come and Be a Chorister in which children play with the school’s orchestras or spend a day rehearsing and singing with the Chapel Choir.

In addition, the school’s musicians are involved in the local community, regularly performing at local venues, care homes, churches and cathedrals all over the South-West.