Search for young East Lancs singing starlet pays off (From This Is Lancashire)

Search for young East Lancs singing starlet pays off

11:16am Friday 25th June 2010 in

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WHEN a war veteran was moved to tears by a note-perfect rendition of Abide With Me at a remembrance service, he wanted to hear more.

But it took 85-year-old Ted Davidson months to track down young virtuoso Grace O’Malley to her home in Crawshawbooth.

Now former Scots Guard Ted, of Coronation Avenue, Padiham, has seen his dream come true after he persuaded the 12-year-old opera starlet to perform for a charity concert at the town’s Unitarian church.

Grace, a pupil at Alder Grange Community and Technology School, Rawtenstall, is a former pupil of the famed Chetham’s music school in Manchester and she receives tuition at the Royal Northern College of Music at weekends.

Grace, whose idols are Barbara Streisand and Maria Callas, has already performed at a number of charity concerts across East Lancashire and raised thousands of pounds for several good causes.

Ted said: “I’m a World War Two veteran and I was attending the annual remembrance service in Padiham when I saw this girl performing Abide With Me.

“I was very touched by it and thanked her afterwards.

“She has an absolutely beautiful voice.

“I arrange concerts for the North West Air Ambulance and I really wanted to involve Grace in my next one.”

Her mother Maureen said: “He is a lovely old man and is the reason why we are doing this concert.

“It took him months to find us and we sent him a CD of Grace singing and it has taken off from there.

"Ted is very fond of her and she is like a granddaughter to him.

“It looks like they are going to raise over £1,000.”

Joining the prodigy on stage tonight will be the Clitheroe-based Swing Commanders and a swing band from Blackburn’s Queen Elizabeth Grammar School.