Wiltshire Young Musician 2019
Eliza Munday (violin, aged 16) won the Wiltshire Young Musician of 2019 competition in Devizes on Saturday 30th November 2019, with an outstanding performance of Vaughan Williams’s The Lark Ascending, which held the audience spellbound.
Also competing were Annabel Bigland (Soprano, aged 17), Gabriel Longbotham (piano,15), Madeleine Longbotham (flute,17), and Liana Tian (piano,13).
The competition was judged by Jacquelyn Bevan, Richard Hickman and Nicola Meecham, who were very complimentary of the standard of all the competitors and unanimous in their choice.
This was the fourth occurrence of this competition and two of the three previous winners have been violinists.
The winner’s trophy was again kindly provided by The Rotary Club of Devizes. The competitors shared bursaries of £450, the first prize of £250 generously donated by Wansbroughs Solicitors of Devizes.
Wiltshire Young Musician 2018
Matthew Powell (trumpet, aged 17) won the Wiltshire Young Musician 2018 competition in Devizes on Saturday 1st December 2018, playing the 1st movement of Hummel’s Trumpet Concerto in E flat.
In second place was Madeleine Longbotham (flute, aged 16) who played Chaminade’s Concertina in D major Op107 and in third place Eliza Munday (violin, aged 16) playing Fritz Kreisler’s Praeludium and Allegro.
Six competitors took part, all significant winners in this year’s Eisteddfod. Also performing were Gabriel Longbotham (piano), Anabella Fairgrieve (vocalist) and Isabella Lane (mezzo soprano). The competition was judged by Sharon Gould.
The winner’s trophy was kindly provided by The Rotary Club of Devizes. The six competitors shared bursaries of £550 generously donated by Wansbroughs Solicitors of Devizes.
The 4th Young Musician of Wiltshire competition was held on Saturday, 30 November 2019. Again, those competing were selected by the Eisteddfod Committee following success during the festival itself on 21-23 November 2019. To be eligible for entry competitors must either reside in the county, go to school or college in Wiltshire or take music lessons within the county.
Previous Winners
2015
Katherine Stonham (violin), aged 16, who played two movements of the Handel Violin Sonata in D major and the last movement of Bruch’s Violin Concerto.
2013
Joel Munday (violin), aged 13, who played the first movement of Mendelssohn’s Violin Concerto.
