A Caerphilly teenager has been honoured for her singing with two top awards.
Lucy Rees, 16, recently competed in the Forest of Dean Solo and Ensemble Championship and was crowned both the Forest of Dean ‘Junior Young Musician 2013’ and ‘Most Promising Junior’.
Lucy sang a selection of songs in French, Italian and English, and entered the Advanced Solo and Junior Recital classes.
The singer said: “As soon as they announced who came third and second I thought it was all over as there was no way I could have won it. When I heard my name I could not believe it.
“I was speechless.”
The young classical soprano attends the Royal Welsh College of Music and Drama in Cardiff and was trained for four years by Charlotte Church’s coach Louise Ryan.
Lucy, who has been singing since she was eight, said: “I was nine-years-old when I first met Louise Ryan and thirteen when I said goodbye.
Those four years were the foundation to my career and taught me so much.
“They were very hard but that only awakened the drive and determination inside me that I still have today.
“I am always looking for opportunities to perform and so I have many concerts lined up for the next few months, such as the Senghenydd Miner’s Memorial this October.”
Lucy is a music Scholar at Haberdashers Monmouth School for Girls, and while in college she won both the Betty Richards Prize for Voice and the Junior Conservatoire Voice Prize, and now has other competitions in her sights.