Corby pianists' Christmas concert inspired by award-winning festive spirit

Anna Plaminiak won the 2019 Educational Spirit Award after being nominated by parents of children she teaches especially for her work with children with special educational needs.

She has organised the festive musicale for all 18 of her pupils to be held in Corby in the run up to Christmas as a showcase for her pupils' talents.

Anna said: "We will gather as one big family. It's all about the festive spirit celebrating the different traditions and cultures in Corby.

"I have students from all over - Bulgarian, Polish, Lithuanian, Indian, Chinese. We will play traditional Christmas tunes from all over the world, then we will sit down and have a meal together. We're like one big family."

Anna studied for a master’s degree in music, specialising in music therapy in Poland, before moving to the Corby 14 years ago to work in school as a teaching assistant.

Now working as a full-time music teacher, she wants to bring her professional training and personal experience of growing up in a musical family together.

She said: "I come from a very musical family. My grandfather, Cesare Garyga, was a well-known concert violinist in Italy. My mother is a music and arts teacher.

"At Christmas we would all sit around the piano and sing Christmas carols.

"Music can bring love. Seeing the parents crying with pride and joy because their children have been trying so hard is everything they have been working for. It's going to be a great opportunity for all the students."

The concert takes place on the Sunday, December 15, in the Weston Theatre at Brooke Weston Academy, Corby.