Niamh O’Hare, Emma Barrow, Emilie Edelenbos, Lillian Garnier, Amy Baudains, Tutor Timothy de Quetteville, Hollie Herman, Prachi Sharma and Bryony O’Hare

FRIDAY 13 November was a lucky day for a group of young Islanders competing in the Eisteddfod.

Despite superstition surrounding that date, it marked them setting a new record for their piano teacher, Timothy de Quetteville.

Niamh O’Hare, Emma Barrow, Emilie Edelenbos, Lillian Garnier, Amy Baudains, Hollie Herman, Prachi Sharma and Bryony O’Hare managed to win every single junior solo piano trophy in the competition.

Mr de Quetteville said that it was a massive achievement and the first time it has happened for 25 years.

He said that the secret of the success was a combination of ‘a good teacher, good students and parental back-up’.

‘I think that the ability to get a perfect performance is important and I am a perfectionist,’ he said.

‘All of them won gold and one of them won platinum. I also have some excellent students who are backed up by their parents.

‘Sometimes students think that I am not pleased with them, but I am actually more critical if they are better students because I know that I can get more out of them.’
His students won the awards between 5 and 13 November.