Music has won, adjudicator Sarah Jefferies has declared more than once this week as she struggled to pick out a winner among the high quality entries in the Guild’s music classes.

In the Adult Folk Song class, Sarah admitted she wanted to rip up the remarks sheets and take all the competitors for a celebratory drink.

Instead, Terry Qualtrough was named the winner, with his daughter Sarah Qualtrough second.

Music won for a second time in the organ recital classes, held at St Thomas’s Church, Douglas.

Alexander Owensen won the beginners’ class, Chris Callow took the intermediate category and Gareth Moore, who is also an official accompanist, won the advanced class with a programme which included an arrangement of the toe-tapping British Legion March.

The Guild - or Manx Music, Speech and Dance Festival - got under way at the Villa Marina on Saturday with dancing, brass band classes and an evening programme which included new class Dragging It Up and an 1980s themed Anything Goes class.

Mathea won Dragging It Up while The Unity Glee Project Supergroup’s performance to Bon Jovi’s Living on a Prayer earned them first place in Anything Goes.

In the weekend’s brass band classes, Onchan Silver Band won the Standard March and Hymn classes while Rushen Silver Band’s 20-minute programme were first in the Concert class with a score of 91.

Manx Concert Brass won most entertaining programme.

Meanwhile, Ramsey Grammar School’s Prep Band won the Brass Ensemble (Open) class.

There were 30 entries in the Songs from the Musicals (Years nine to 13) class. First place was Maddie Wood, who impressed with her performance of Gimme Gimme from Thoroughly Modern Millie.

The Sheffield Plate competition, the Guild’s top award for children’s solo singing, takes place tomorrow (Friday) at 6pm in the Royal Hall.

It will be followed by the Community Choirs class, Vocal Duets Final for The Billown Rose Bowl and finally the Cleveland Medal Test at 8.30pm.

The Cleveland Medal, adjudicated by Luise Horrocks, will be contested by the top six entrants in the adult solo singing classes.

This year marks the 100th anniversary of the Cleveland Medal presentation.

A final day of competition takes place on Saturday with choir classes in the Royal Hall and a range of Manx classes, spoken word and stand up comedy in the Promenade Suite.