On Tuesday evening, we were delighted to host the St Columba's heat of the Scottish Young Musicians Solo Performer of the Year - a nationwide competition to discover the brightest musical talent in Scotland.
Our competitors were all hoping to follow in the footsteps of last year's winner, clarinettist Emily B (SVI), who went on to be crowned the Solo Performer of the Year 2023 at the national final hosted by the Royal Conservatoire of Scotland (RCS).
The five talented musicians took to the stage to perform a piece of their choosing in front of an intimate audience of friends and family and our adjudicator for the evening, Mrs Patricia MacMahon, an Honorary Fellow (Vocal Performance) at the RCS.
The programme for the evening was as follows:
Harry B (SV): Piano, Romance (D. Sciarra)
Emma V (SV): Voice, 'Pulled' from The Addams Family (A. Lippa)
Sophie R (SVI): Piano, Novelletten Op. 21 No. 1 (R. Schumann)
Sasha C (SVI): Clarinet, Czardas (V. Monti)
Kirsty H (SVI): Piano, Andaluza (E. Granados)
The overall standard was incredibly high, leaving Mrs MacMahon with a very difficult decision to make. Ultimately, however, it was clarinettist Sasha who was declared the winner with Sophie the runner up.
Our sincere thanks go to Mrs MacMahon for taking time out of her schedule to join us for this event, and for taking on the unenviable task of selecting just one winner. Thanks also to our accompanist for the evening, Mr Archie Morris, who not only organised this wonderful event, but also expertly supported our young musicians throughout.
We wish Sasha the very best of luck as she moves on to the Independent Schools' Final, which will be held at Wellington School, Ayr on Sunday 28th April.