We are delighted to be hosting the Gloucestershire Young Musician of the Year competition for 2024.
The Finals are at 3pm on Sunday 3 March, Cheltenham College Big Classical.
SIX of the county’s most talented music students, ranging in age from 16 to 22, have made it through to the finals of the Gloucestershire Young Musician of the Year 2024, from a near record field of 18 entries.
They include a harpist for the first time, Reuben West, from The Cotswold School; oboist Grace Tushingham, from Cheltenham, who is studying at the Royal Welsh College of Music and Drama; clarinettist Ben Gibson, from Pates Grammar School; former fellow pupil and viola player Eden Saunders, who is studying at the Royal Northern College of Music; the youngest finalist, pianist 16-year-old Stepan Rusencevs, from Cheltenham College; and violinist James Li, from Cheltenham, who is studying at the Mozartium University in Salzburg.
Adjudicating the first round, on 7 January, was Professor Derek Aviss, former executive director of Trinity Laban and ex-principal of Trinity College. He said the standard of musicianship was outstanding, coming from a wide age range of candidates from all corners of the county, who brought new instruments to the contest.
He is looking forward to the finals concert hosted by Cheltenham College at the Big Classical at 3pm on Sunday 3 March, when he will chair the judging panel and announce the Young Musician 2024 winner.
Tickets are £15 for adults, students and under-18s are free. You can buy from Eventbrite or on the door:
GYM 2025 Competition will launch later in 2024
We welcome entries from young musicians; the entry form link will appear below in autumn 2024.
Please note the deadline for entries will also be published in the autumn.
We hope many young musicians will enter the competition, as it is a great way of developing musical experience, and playing in a friendly format with other young musicians.
Prize:
- The Hewitt Jones Award
- Cash prize £500
- Three performances:
i) a concerto performance with Gloucestershire Symphony Orchestra
ii) a concerto performance with Gloucestershire Youth Orchestra
iii) a recital at Cheltenham Music Festival
Gloucestershire Young Musician of the Year is a well-established competition and since 2014 has featured under the auspicious umbrella of Gloucestershire Symphony Orchestra.
Recent winners include Isaac Williams, violin (2023), Kimmy Kwok, violin (2022), Darcy Beck, percussion (2020), Bill Ko Tsz Hin, viola (2019), Lydia Kenny, saxophone (2018), Hannah Brooks-Hughes, violin (2017), Adam Heron, piano (2016), Rebecca McNaught, cello (2015) and Rhiannon Symonds, trombone (2014).
For all information on the competition and terms & conditions of entry please see below.
Entry Information for 2024 (to be updated for GYM 2025)
The 2024 Gloucestershire Young Musician Competition will consist of one class, open to entrants aged 22 years or under on 1 March 2024.
First Round
Applicants in five categories (piano, strings, woodwind, brass and orchestral percussion) will be invited to give a 12-minute recital before adjudicator Professor Derek Aviss OBE on Sunday 7 January 2024 at Gloucestershire Academy of Music, Barbican House, Gloucester GL1 2JF. As a result of this stage a maximum of six finalists (or fewer, at the adjudicator’s discretion) will be selected to proceed to the final.
Competition Final
The selected finalists will each give a 15-minute recital before an audience and a panel of adjudicators, chaired by Professor Derek Aviss OBE, on Sunday 3 March 2024 3 pm at Cheltenham College’s Big Classical venue, Cheltenham, GL53 7LD.
Finalists will be offered an individual Masterclass in Performance, in January/February, to help them prepare for their performance in the final.
At the Final, the following prizes will be awarded:
1st Prize
- The Hewitt Jones Award
- A cheque for £500
- Three performances:
i) a concerto performance with Gloucestershire Symphony Orchestra
ii) a concerto performance with Gloucestershire Youth Orchestra
iii) a recital at Cheltenham Music Festival in July 2023
Audience Prize
- A cheque for £200 awarded by the Carducci Quartet
- A recital at the Carducci Festival at Highnam in May 2024
The winner of this prize is selected via audience vote on the evening of the final.
All Other Finalists (including the winner of the Audience Prize)
- A cheque for £50
Rules of Entry (to be updated for GYM 2025)
Please read and understand fully the rules below before submitting your entry.
Entrance to the competition will form a binding contract between yourself and promoters of the Gloucestershire Young Musician competition.
- Entrants should be aged 22 years or under on 1 March 2024.
- Applicants should have a family home in Gloucestershire (including if away at college/university), or go to school in Gloucestershire, or receive musical tuition at a recognised musical organisation in Gloucestershire.
- Previous title-holders are not eligible for entry.
- Candidates should be of at least Grade 8 standard (Associated Board or equivalent) on their chosen instrument.
- Entry is limited to the following instruments: piano, all brass, all woodwind, all strings (including guitar) and orchestral percussion.
- Candidates will undertake to provide their own accompanist for all stages of the competition.
- No expenses can be met by the competition promoters for all stages of the competition. However, expenses may be available to the winner for performances associated with the prize.
- All photographic, recording and broadcast rights shall be assigned to the competition promoters.
- Entries must be made using the official entry form and be received by midnight on Sunday 10 December 2023.
- The fee to enter the competition is £30 per entry, payable via BACS transfer once the application has been accepted.
- Musicians are allowed to enter on more than one instrument.
- The winner’s concerto performance with Gloucestershire Symphony Orchestra will take place on Sunday 17 November 2024 at Pittville Pump Room, and thus the winning musician will be expected to be available on this date.