Finalists of the 2020 Gloucestershire Young Musician Competition

Entries details for the 2022 competition will appear here later in 2021

We are disappointed that the Gloucestershire Young Musician of the Year competition has had to be postponed due to Covid restrictions. We are hoping to restart for 2022, and details will appear here later in 2021.

The details below are from previous competitions, and will be updated, but will likely be broadly the same as for recent years.

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.

Win: (to be confirmed)

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) and Adam Heron, piano (2016).

For all information on the competition and terms & conditions of entry please see below.

Entry Information: draft rules and prizes, to be confirmed when entries open

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 in January 2022 (date to be confirmed) 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. The following prizes will be awarded:

1st Prize (to be confirmed)

The Hewitt Jones Award
A cheque for £500
Three performances:
i) a concerto performance with Gloucestershire Symphony Orchestra
ii) a concerto performance with Gloucester Youth Orchestra
iii) a recital at Cheltenham Music Festival

Audience Prize (to be confirmed)

A cheque for £200 awarded by the Carducci Quartet
and 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 (to be confirmed)

(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 accompaniment 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 date to be confirmed.
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 (date to be confirmed), and the winning musician will be expected to be available on this date.