Two Moors Festival Young Musicians Competition
The auditions for this year's Competition were held at Taunton School, Staplegrove Road, Taunton TA2 6AD by kind permission of the Headmaster, James Johnson and Director of Music, Toby Carden.
2024 Competition Winners
Robby Cassels: Piano. Aged 14. Robby attends the Yehudi Menuhin School and lives in North Tawton
Natalie Drake: Flute. Aged 15. Natalie is from Wells Cathedral School and lives in Trowbridge
Soho Park: Piano. Aged 9. Soho attends Wells Cathedral School
Alexander Stejskal: Violin. Aged 14. Alexander studies at Wells Cathedral School and lives in Worthing
Runners up:
Imogen Bowen: Voice. Aged 15 from Dean Close School Cheltenham
Elliot Coles: Trumpet. Aged 10 Milverton Community Primary School
CONGRATULATIONS TO EVERYONE!
About The Competition
The Two Moors Festival's Young Musicians Competition began in 2002, when the Festival was still in its infancy. At that time there were very few performance opportunities for enthusiastic young musicians living in the South West, so it was decided to create a competition to find four under-nineteen year olds who could share a concert in the main Festival and also receive some prize money.
The panel has always comprised three or four experienced professional musicians including Philip Fowke, Anna Tilbrook, Jordan Black, Tamsin Waley-Cohen and Robert St John Wright to name but few.
Over the years the standard and the prestige of the competition has risen enormously. Entries now come from as far afield as Gloucester, Bournemouth and Truro and usually total around thirty-five. The concert during the Festival offers a chance for all four winners - the stars of the future - to give an individual fifteen minute performance in front of a paying audience.
The competition is open to classically trained strings, brass or woodwind players, pianists and singers. Entrants need to be aged 18 or under on 1st January 2024, be living or educated in South West England (Bristol, Cornwall, Devon, Dorset, Gloucestershire, Somerset or Wiltshire) and be working at a level of grade 7 or above.
The four winners will each be invited to attend a Masterclass at the end of the summer holidays and will perform in their Winners Concert during the Festival when they will each receive £300. Winners must be available for the concert in early October.
Entrants may play two or three contrasting pieces amounting to no more than ten minutes. At least one piece must be from the classical genre. Percussion entries are not possible.
We are most fortunate in being able to continue to hold the competition in the excellent music department in Taunton School thanks to the generosity of Director of Music, Toby Carden and Headmaster James Johnson.
"“ I really enjoyed the whole experience of taking part in the Two Moors Festival competition this year. It felt really exciting to play for an audience again. I also really enjoyed the masterclass day with George, he was very inspiring and I now feel much more confident performing. It’s also been really fun to get to know the other players in the competition. Theyre such wonderful players and they are all really nice as well!
Thank you so much, Two Moors festival, I’ve had such a brilliant time!"
"
Hugo Svedberg
CELLO
WINNER 2021