King’s Rochester pupil wins CSA Willcocks Composition Competition 2021​

Hugh Davies, sixteen, a pupil at King’s Rochester is celebrating after learning this week that he won the Senior category of the Choir Schools Association Willcocks Composition Competition 2021.

The Willcocks Composition Competition invites pupils from choir schools around the country to compose a piece of music around a pre-selected title. This year the pieces were entitled ‘Sing to the Lord a new song!’. Hugh, a music scholar at King’s, went about the task merrily and created his short piece in the first few weeks of the year whilst living in the boarding house.

Director of Music at King’s Rochester, Mr John Mountford, said “Many congratulations Hugh, he created a remarkable piece of music and our choir are looking forward to singing the piece later this year”

Judges, Jonathan & Charlie Willcocks, said: “It was such a pleasure again to be able to read through all the settings of the given text 'Sing to the Lord a new song' that pupils have written. Many of the composers who in past years have established themselves as the very finest have gained their early musical experience singing in one of our great historic cathedrals or churches that maintain a choral tradition”.

Hugh has enjoyed a very successful year, having recently passed Grade 8 Piano with Distinction as well as completing his GCSE Music a year early with Grade 9. He also plays the violin, leads the King’s Senior School orchestra as well as playing the organ for services in Rochester Cathedral.