AFTER just six months of singing lessons Max Harwood Lomax stepped onto a stage in front of nearly 500 people – his next gig could be in front of 50,000.
Max first sang at the Sean Ruane and Friends’ evening at Bacup’s Royal Court Theatre in May.
He performed a solo, a duet and a medley of songs with St Anne’s Community Choir where his mum Katy Clayton is a member.
Now the Haslingden High School Year 7 student is preparing for a somewhat larger audience, as he hopes to be part of a mass community ensemble being put together by Bacup-born opera singer Sean Ruane, through his musical company Chant Productions.
They will be singing at the Rugby League’s Challenge Cup Final at Wembley on August 24 where last year’s crowd topped 50,000.
Max, 12, whose dad is Guy Lomax, one half of singing pianists the Lomax Brothers, said: “I had previously sung in the leavers’ concert at my primary school, Waterfoot and I have had singing lessons with Margot Campbell in Helmshore once a week for six months.
“I am in the community choir with my mum and we opened the show with a medley from ‘The Greatest Showman’. There were about 30 of us on the stage.”
Max was joined by 12-year-old Danny Dunning to perform a duet of ‘When at Night I go to Sleep’ and finally he sang a solo of ‘A Million Dreams’.
He said: “I came on really nervous but could only see the first three rows of the audience. My step-mum and auntie were on the front row cheering me on.
“Half-way through the song it was a relief when I was joined on stage by Sean and singer Rachel Spencer and they also sang with me.
“I thought the mic was a bit too low but I was worried about trying to move it in case it squealed.”
One of the highlights for Max was when they performed Bohemian Rhapsody and he joined his dad to play the piano in a duet while his mum was also on stage singing in the choir.
Max attends weekly piano lessons at Arietta Music in Haslingden. He has been playing since he was seven and is a Grade 3.
He said: “Singing in the choir is really good and there are some good harmonies. Everyone sounds good when they sing together.”