Talented young musicians compete at King’s College, Taunton

The nail-biting final of the King’s Junior and Senior Young Musician of the Year Competition was held in the Chapel at King's College. The event is one of the highlights of the chamber music calendar, and this year saw 62 talented entrants from all seven houses perform in the heats, with 13 going through to the finals. Pupils played the clarinet, guitar, harp and sang, displaying an impressive range of talents and illustrating the vibrancy of the music department at King’s.

Mr Russell Collins, Director of Music at Exeter Cathedral School was the adjudicator and had a very tough time making his decision. The audience was spellbound and thoroughly entertained as the final proceeded. It was catholic in its scope and showcased the broad and inclusive nature of music at King’s.

Monty LS from King’s Hall School was first to take the stage in the junior final performing Bourée by Hasse on the trumpet. The repertoire was an eclectic mix from Mozart and Guns N’ Roses, to pieces from Oliver! and Jekyll & Hyde. The senior group showcased music by Schönberg, Ozzy Osborne, Lehár and Brahms as well as a piano jazz improvisation.

Mr Collins was bowled over by what he called the ‘sheer variety and incredibly high standard of musicians’ among our pupils.

After much deliberation, he finally awarded first place to Poppy C who performed Baroque Flamenco on the harp and Enoch L who played Intermezzo Op.118 No.2 by Brahms on the piano. Runner-up prizes were presented to Sabrina L for her rendition of Mozart’s Sonata in G K283 Movt. I and Connor M who performed Crazy Train.