Young Musician of the Year Competition

Following all the individual category rounds which were held throughout a variety of classes during the first half of term, the finals of the Young Musician of the Year competition took place on Monday, 11^th March and Monday, 18^th March respectively. We were delighted to welcome Richard Dawson, Deputy Director of Music at Brighton College, to Ardingly to adjudicate the Intermediate final. Very complimentary and enthusiastic in his adjudication, Mr Dawson awarded Second and Third place to George Lawler and Myfi Heydtmann respectively whilst the winner was Emily Ward for her moving interpretation of Mendelssohn’s ‘O Rest in the Lord’ from the oratorio, Elijah.

A week later, we were delighted to welcome back Eamonn Dougan, Associate Conductor of the Sixteen, to the college to tackle the complex adjudication of the Advanced category. With Irving Berlin on the Euphonium to electric guitar and from Bach to Brahms, this was a very varied evening of music making showcasing the wonderful individual talents of these musicians. Tom Price wowed the audience with his rendition of Riedling’s Concertino earning him Third Place whilst Melissa Terzi’s poise and style was commented upon in her performance of Bach’s Prelude and Fugue in G Minor which won her Second Place. However, the 2019 Young Musician of the Year was awarded to Laura Crooks for her natural musicianship. A fantastic evening of musical performances which was the culmination of a competition that included entries from all instruments across all years in the school. Roll on 2020!