Finalists of the 2020 Gloucestershire Young Musician Competition

We are delighted that the Gloucestershire Young Musician of the Year competition is going ahead for 2022, and entries opened on 1 September 2021.

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.

Click here for the ENTRY FORM.

Prize:

The Hewitt Jones Award
Two concerto performances
Recital at Cheltenham Music Festival
Cash prize £500

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 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

The 2022 Gloucestershire Young Musician Competition will consist of one class, open to entrants under the age of 22 years on or before 1 March 2022.

First Round

Applicants in five categories (piano, strings, woodwind, brass and orchestral percussion) will be invited to give a 12-minute recital before an adjudicator on Sunday 9 January 2022 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 on Tuesday 8 March 2022 at Pittville Pump Room, Cheltenham, GL52 3JE.

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

Audience Prize

A cheque for £200 awarded by the Carducci Quartet
A recital at the Carducci Festival at Highnam

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

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 or under on or before 1st March 2022.
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 5 December 2021.
The fee to enter the competition is £25 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 20 November 2022 at Pittville Pump Room, and thus the winning musician will be expected to be available on this date.