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 of the relevant year, 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 winners are invited to attend a Masterclass and perform in their Winners Concert during the Festival, when they each receive £300. Winners must be available for the concert in early October.
For their audition entrants 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.
Sign up to our newsletter to receive information about concerts, collaborations and what's happening at The Two Moors Festival.
COMMENTS FROM PAST CANDIDATES
River Peryer, piano, winner 2025:
"I was so excited to be part of the Two Moors Young Musician Competition — and it was even better than I expected! I actually won, which was amazing! The whole thing was brilliant, not just the competing bit but getting to meet other young musicians who are just as into music as I am. It's nice to know there are other people my age who feel the same way about it.
I took part in a masterclass, which was really valuable, and then performed at the festival in Dunster which was a real highlight — performing somewhere like that feels pretty special!
I found the whole thing really rewarding, and not just for the music side of things. It gave me a lot to think about and I came away feeling really motivated and wanting to push myself further.
As for the prize money — I bought a drum kit!"
Victoria Stolte, viola, winner 2025:
"I am absolutely thrilled to be named a winner of the Two Moors Festival Young Musicians Competition 2025, and especially proud to be the first viola player to receive this award. The masterclass was an inspiring and unforgettable experience, and performing as part of the festival alongside such outstanding musicians has been hugely motivating. I am incredibly grateful to the judges, the Two Moors Festival, and to my teachers and family for their continued support."
Ted Lunt, recorder, winner 2025:
"I am so pleased that I took part in the Two Moors Festival, I was quite nervous about performing but everybody was really friendly and supportive. I have learned so much from the experience and I actually enjoyed performing in the final concert."
Belinda Gifford-Guy, voice, winner 2025:
“Taking part in the Two Moors Festival Young Musicians Competition has been a real highlight. Everyone was so friendly and welcoming. It was so much fun performing in the hall, which had a fantastic acoustic. The adjudicators were so positive and offered lots of encouragement and constructive feedback. I was over the moon when the phone call came to say I had won! The three other winners and I have had some wonderful opportunities since, including a masterclass with Rokas Valuntonis which was both fun and helpful, and the opportunity for all four of us to perform in a lunchtime concert in Dunster, which for me was both challenging and incredibly exciting. Sending many thanks to Kathryn and her team for their wonderful organisation. I am honoured to have been a part of The Two Moors Festival Competion and would advise anyone who was considering entering, to go for it!”
Natalie Drake, flute, winner 2024:
"Two Moors [Young Musicians Competition] has been an incredible opportunity where I have been able to both compete and perform. I am incredibly lucky to have been a winner and encourage anyone thinking about applying to do so! Being a part of the final recital is something that has helped me learn to be adaptable, more confident and experienced."
Harold Long Lee, oboe, winner 2023:
"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."I really enjoyed myself in the whole process of the competition, from the audition to the winners’ performance. I particularly appreciated the friendly and supportive atmosphere that the competition has created with wonderful staff and adjudicators. It was such a pleasure performing in a church packed with a friendly audience. Without a doubt, this competition stands out as one of the more memorable experiences that I have had so far."
Teagan Craggs, violin, winner 2023:
"Taking part in the Two Moors Competition was an extremely rewarding experience, and the constructive feedback I received from the judges was invaluable. I was ecstatic when the results were announced. Unlike other competitions, winning was only the beginning. I got to partake in a masterclass with a concert pianist named Rokas Valuntonis. This enabled me to explore a broader palette of sounds that I could incorporate into the piece Rhapsody by Eduard Bagdasarian. Valuntonis guided me with my phrasing and pushed my musicality to new heights.
After the masterclass, I had a few weeks to consider the advice Valuntonis had given before performing in the concert at St Michael & All Angels Church. The ringing acoustic and sanctified atmosphere of the church provided the perfect platform from which to perform my first piece, the Bach…. Playing Bagdasarian’s Rhapsody was a visceral experience that I shall never forget. The audience was wonderful; inviting me warmly to the stage and listening attentively and with sensitivity. I am extremely thankful to all those whom I have met throughout the Two Moors Competition, and am especially grateful to Sarah for doing such an amazing job of organising it, and to Mark Cracknell for being an incredibly supportive accompanist. I sincerely hope to someday return to the Two Moors Festival to perform again."
Hannah Eden, flute, winner 2023:
"The Two Moors Festival Young Musicians Competition has been such an incredible experience. It was lovely to have the opportunity to perform to such a large audience, and in such a wonderful venue. The competition itself was very organised and made me feel at ease the moment I stepped foot in the room. My favourite experience was the masterclass. It was an amazing day: I learned so much, and it was great to listen to the other winners and runner ups as well. I would highly recommend Two Moors!"
Dee Dee Redford, winner 2023:
"I found my audition experience exciting and I was very happy because there were good refreshments. At the masterclass it was such fun to find more things to practice in my pieces. And also to meet the other performers. At the performance I loved having a beautiful room to change in and there were more good refreshments. I deeply enjoyed my red roses at the end of the concert and now I have £300 in the bank so I can buy stuff. It was a very friendly and organised competition and I want to say “Thank You for the delightful experience”.
Ginevra Dobson, voice, winner 2023:
"I have absolutely loved being one of the winners of the Two Moors Festival Young Musicians' Competition. It is an unforgettable experience.
The audition was very exciting. It was lovely to meet the judges and hear their feedback which I took forward to the concert and will use in all future performances.
At the masterclass it was very interesting to see everyone else perform and to hear Rokas Valuntonis' feedback. The difference between the first and last run through of my piece that I did in the masterclass was significant thanks to Rokas' feedback, it made it much more powerful and emotional.
The concert was incredible, I loved spending time with and listening to the other winners and when it was my time to go up and sing, it was so enjoyable especially since the church was so full of people. It was very kind of a local family to open their house to us and it made a great end to a wonderful day. I will take forward everything I have learned into all my future performances and my singing career.
Thank you so much for everything, I have loved every minute."
Annie Banks, flute, winner 2022:
"The Two Moors competition is a very special competition to be part of. Everyone is so positive and encouraging and I found that this really helped me to relax and enabled me to perform to the best of my ability on the day. The judges’ feedback is invaluable and they made the whole experience really enjoyable, I felt so buoyant when I had finished my audition, and that was before I knew I was one of the winners! I would say to anyone thinking of applying, just go for it!"
Cole Craggs, trumpet, winner 2022:
"Performing in the Two Moors Competition was an extremely positive experience that has boosted my confidence, and inspired me to progress. The panel of adjudicators were very friendly, and I found it insightful to receive feedback from players of other instruments. I would strongly recommend taking part to anyone considering it."
Emmaline Feast-Michael, cello, winner 2022:
"The two moors festival has been an incredible experience as it has not only given me performance skills but also very helpful feedback from the judges that will help me to better my performances in the future as well as being a very welcoming environment to perform in, thank you very much."
Jemima Price, voice, winner 2022:
"My experience of entering the two moors competition has been that it is a great performance practice environment as the judges feedback is so useful to build on. Even though it is a competition, the opportunity to perform for the judges and hear what they have to say is so valuable and has definitely helped me develop my performance to this point, although there is always more work to do!"
Hugo Svedberg, cello, winner 2021:
"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. They’re 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!"
Emily Ambrose, bassoon, winner 2021:
"I found the whole experience of competing in The Two Moors Festival Young Musicians competition very friendly right from the start. I think this is such an important thing with any competition, and because of that I found I could really enjoy my playing rather than being stressed.
I found that with just one round rather than two it worked well. In other competitions you don’t usually get a chance to meet the other performers so having the masterclass with George Fu and getting a chance to meet the other winners was valuable and made the final concert a lot more relaxed.
It was incredibly kind and hospitable that on the day of The Winners’ Concert we were welcomed in a neighbouring house and able to change and relax with our families as well as being given lunch. This isn’t something that would happen at any other competition, and so makes this one even more memorable.
I greatly enjoyed playing in the concert and found the audience so friendly."
Joesph Pritchard, cello, winner 2017:
"Many competitions for young musicians can now appear quite daunting and scary, but the Two Moors competition was totally the opposite and so beneficial. The adjudicators were very friendly, helpful with their feedback and not intimidating in the slightest. Above all, the performance opportunity was hugely appreciated and I couldn’t wait to perform in the festival."
Matilda Wale, singer, winner 2017:
"I was thrilled to be one of the Young Musician Winners! Every year, Two Moors becomes warmer and warmer. The atmosphere is ambitious yet intimate, creating an incredible space for music-making. I returned for five years, as the panel were always so encouraging and their critiques positive and constructive."
Samantha Rowe, flute, competitor and finalist 2016-2019:
"The Two Moors Festival Young Musicians Competition was always something that pushed and challenged me to keep consistently improving. It is in wonderful venues and the audition experience is invaluable. The luxury of being able to audition with a professional piano accompanist really prepares you for other competitions and conservatoire auditions as well as giving you a strong sense of reassurance and stability. The panel listen with great care and attentiveness to every note and you can really feel that everybody wants you to do well. Their feedback is always fantastic, ranging from stage presence and presentation to the details of articulation and character. There is absolutely nothing to fault, and no reason not to give it a go!"