BBC Young Musician 2014 announces category finalists

After an extensive audition process, judges have announced five finalists for each of its categories – Strings, Keyboard, Woodwind, Brass and Percussion.

Over 450 entries were received for the contest from musicians aged between 8-18 years old.

Kerry Clark, Competition Manager, BBC Young Musician 2014, said: “The category finalists show a remarkable level and breadth of talent. We’re looking forward to continuing to work with these outstanding young musicians over the coming months and watching their progress through to the 2014 final.”


The 2014 Category Finalists are:

Strings

William Dutton (18) – violin

Anna Im (16) – violin

Elizaveta Tyun (18) – violin

Roberto Ruisi (17) – violin

Juliana Myslov (17) - harp


Keyboard

Martin Bartlett (17) - piano

Ning Hui See (17) – piano

Hayley Parkes (18) - piano

Julian Trevelyan (15) - piano

Isata Kanneh-Mason (17) - piano


Woodwind

Hannah Foster (17) - flute

Daniel Shao (18) - flute

Jessika Gillam (15) - saxophone

Nick Seymour (17) - saxophone

Sophie Westbrooke (15) - recorder


Brass

Ellena Newton (14) - trombone

Isobel Daws (14) - trombone

Matilda Lloyd (18) - trumpet

Lewis Bettles (18) - trombone

William Thomas (13) – trumpet


Percussion

Matthew Farthing (17)

Elliott Gaston-Ross (15)

Jess Wood (16)

Tom Highnam (17)

Stefan Beckett (18)


The category finals will take place on 3-7 March 2014 in the Dora Stoutzker Hall, Royal Welsh College of Music and Drama, Cardiff. The semi-final follows on 9 March, before the BBC Young Musician Final on 18 May 2014 at Usher Hall in Edinburgh. BBC Young Musician will be broadcast extensively on BBC Four and BBC Radio 3.

For the first time, BBC Young Musician adds a new Jazz Award. Running alongside the established classical music format, the first ever BBC Young Musician Jazz Award will comprise two audition stages followed by a Final on 8 March 2014 to be held at the Royal Welsh College of Music and Drama. The Jazz Award finalists will be announced in early February.

Since the competition’s first outing in 1978, BBC Young Musician has established an enviable reputation for finding outstanding new talent. Fifteen-year-old cellist Laura van der Heijden was awarded the title BBC Young Musician 2012 to take her place alongside a star-studded list of former winners and finalists that includes Thomas Adès, Alison Balsom, Thomas Carroll, Natalie Clein, Michael Collins, Nicholas Daniel, Benjamin Grosvenor, Stephen Hough, Emma Johnson, Guy Johnston, Freddy Kempf, Leon McCawley, Lucy Parham, Jennifer Pike, Tom Poster, David Pyatt and Paul Watkins.

For the first time this year BBC Young Musician has announced an ambassadorial role for violinist Nicola Benedetti, one of its most celebrated former winners. 2014 is the 10th anniversary of Nicola’s win, and for the 2014 Final, BBC Young Musician will return to the scene of her triumph, Usher Hall in Edinburgh.

BBC Young Musician is managed and produced by BBC Cymru Wales.

Twitter: @BBCYM2014

Notes to Editors

Category finals will take place on 3–7 March 2014 in the Dora Stoutzker Hall, Royal Welsh College of Music and Drama, Cardiff. Five performers per category will perform in front of an audience and a panel of adjudicators. The category finals will be broadcast on BBC Four.

3 March – Strings Category Final

4 March – Percussion Category Final

5 March – Woodwind Category Final

6 March – Keyboard Category Final

7 March – Brass Category Final

The semi-final will take place on 9 March 2014 at the Dora Stoutzker Hall, Royal Welsh College of Music and Drama, Cardiff. The five category winners will perform in front of an audience and a panel of adjudicators. The semi-final will be broadcast on BBC Four.

BBC Young Musician Final will take place on 18 May 2014 at Usher Hall in Edinburgh in front of an audience and a panel of adjudicators. The final will be broadcast on BBC Four and Radio 3.


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