Aaah, Basingstoke. Home of roundabouts and of course, The Anvil. One of the South West's finest venues plays host to the Philharmonia, the Solid Silver Sixties Show, An Evening with Joan Collins and on Sunday 9 April, Choir of the Year.

We had two new adjudicators for this audition day, Eugene Skeef and Stuart Barr. They weren't quite sure what they were letting themselves in for, but after some great singing they left the day firmly converted to Choir of the Year.

The Anvil is one of our favourite places to go - it's got a good acoustic, a good in-house team, and just as importantly lots of space for us to move choirs around in. With Radio 3's Edward Blakeman in attendance the team had to be on top form, and with the help of our youngest member, Talulla Welch, 4, and some very talented and well-organised choirs he thoroughly enjoyed the day.

The day started with the youngest competitors competing in the Children's Choir category, Sherborne House School Concert Choir from Southampton, singing works by Chopin, John Williams and Lin Marsh, as well as an arrangement of Scarborough Fayre. Emerald Choir and Highcliffe Junior Choir Junior Section completed the Children's Choirs. There was time for one Youth Choir in the morning session, Osiris Ensemble from Carshalton who finished off their programme with a West Side Story Medley (for a full programme click here). Three choirs competed in the Open Category, Oxford Gospel Choir, Spinnaker and The London Bulgarian Choir who appeared in full national costume.

While the judges deliberated, David Lawrence led the choirs in a workshop. When the judges returned they announced that both Emerald Choir and Highcliffe Junior Choir Junior Section would be progressing from the Children's Choir category, and The London Bulgarian Choir were the Open 'Choir of the Day'. Osiris Ensemble was left sweating over their fate until the afternoon session, when the other Youth Choirs were singing.

Following another quick lunchtime turnaround, a truncated afternoon session kicked off with the JSS Singers from Worthing performing Richard Kidd's Wind Song (for a full afternoon programme click here). Highcliffe Junior Choir were up next, hoping to emulate the success of their Junior Section earlier in the day. Chislehurst and Sidcup Grammar School Senior Choir had made the long trip from Kent to sing Blow, Blow thou Winter Wind, Steal Away and Betelehemue and the final choir of the afternoon were Reading Phoenix Choir, who were the only choir performing in the Adult Choir category and were joined by one member direct from the Reading half marathon.

Another difficult judging session saw Highcliffe Junior Choir join their younger counterparts in the National Selection Stage, being named as Youth Choir of the Day and despite being under no obligation to do so, the judges had no hesitation in rewarding Reading Phoenix Choir for a superb performance by naming them as Adult Choir of the Day.

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