In a major charity initiative the prestigious St Mary’s Choirs in Warwick are spearheading a spectacular competition to find talented young singers aged 7-13 in the Midlands region. Auditions for the competition are being held at Warwick Castle.

The winner of ‘The Jet Factor’ competition will win some outstanding prizes including the unique opportunity of performing at the Carols at Warwick Castle event. Other fantastic prizes include a Nintendo Guitar Hero and a family annual pass to Warwick Castle.

Carols at Warwick Castle is a festive event held every December in the dramatic surroundings of Warwick Castle. The winner will perform alongside the Choirs in front of a crowd of 2,500+ people, making this a unique ‘money can’t buy’ prize for any talented and budding singer. This year’s event takes place on Saturday 19th December and money raised by the event goes to charities supported by the Warwick Lions Club, Rotary Club of Warwick and the Friends of St Mary’s Choirs. The event has grown from strength to strength every year and is now recognised as a highlight of the festive calendar.

Auditions for the Jet Factor competition will be held at Warwick Castle on Saturday 28th November, contestants can sing any song of their choice from classical, pop, rock, and West End musicals. Talented singers will then be selected to go through to the grand final on Saturday 5th December, also being held at Warwick Castle, where they will be asked to perform the popular Christmas carol ‘Away in a manger’. There will also be a special performance for the public from St Mary’s Choirs.

Talented children are encouraged to download an entry form from the Carols website www.carolsatwarwickcastle.co.uk. Alternatively for more information contact Sophie on 01926 611700 or e-mail sophie@lmmc.co.uk.

Local schools are already being encouraged to get their pupils to sing more as part of Sing Up, a national singing programme that encourages schools throughout the country to use singing as a cross cultural platform and to place singing at the heart of the school. For more information on the scheme please visit www.singup.org.  

St Mary’s Choirs Musical Director and senior judge of the competition Thomas Corns says “We are very excited about the competition and we hope to find lots of young talented singers. We encourage any boy or girl aged between 7 and 13 to enter the competition, particularly as the prizes and location are so impressive”        

The Jet Factor competition is sponsored by UK fuel supplier Jet, who are based at Warwick Technology Park. Marketing Manager Tony Conway, said: “The Jet Factor competition is one of a number of important community activities we are involved in as part of our commitment to fuelling the local community across the Country.”