PwC Jersey Young Musician of the Year Competition Final 2024

This Saturday, 24 February, six exceptionally talented, young local musicians will take to the stage for the final of the ‘PwC Jersey Young Musician of the Year 2024’.

Organised by the Jersey Music Service and sponsored by long-term supporter PwC, the competition, which is in its 32nd year, incorporates the well-established sectional competitions for string, woodwind, piano, brass, voice and percussion. The event provides young musicians in Jersey with performance and competition opportunities, with many previous finalists having gone on to pursue successful careers in music.

To reach Saturday evening’s final, the young musicians have already had to compete in and win their particular heat in competition with other instrumentalists of their instrumental family. Now, the heat winners go head-to-head on Saturday evening in the Great Hall, Victoria College, and will no doubt produce an array of instrumental timbres, musical styles and genres.

Each musician will perform a short programme of music of their choice, and the finalist who gives the most expressive and technically accomplished performance of their chosen repertoire will be named the PwC Jersey Young Musician of the Year 2024.

This year’s finalists are:

• Island Music Woodwind Heat – Cosimo Dhami-Hounsome (flute)
• Jersey Premier Brass – Brass Heat – Summer Watkins (trumpet)
• Jersey Vocal Trust – Vocal Heat – Poppy Pendergast (vocal)
• Wendy Falla Piano Heat – Jason Hoare
• The Band of the Island of Jersey Percussion Heat – Matt Jackson
• Dorothy Chapman String Heat – Edward Clark (violin)

The evening, which is a firm favourite in the Island’s annual performing arts’ calendar, will be adjudicated by Siân Derry, Assistant Director of Postgraduate Studies at Royal Birmingham Conservatoire, who brings with her an impressive range of technical knowledge and performance experience. In addition, there will be a featured performance from Sydney Haskins, last year’s vocalist winner.

The winner will be awarded with the coveted trophy, along with a cheque presented by PwC for £1,000 in support of their ongoing music studies. In addition, the Jersey Symphony Orchestra (JSO) Award will go to one of the finalists whose performance demonstrates potential to benefit from a structured programme of participation with the JSO over the following 12 months.

Dr Graham Cox, Principal of Jersey Music Service, said: “The PwC Jersey Young Musician of the Year competition is one of the Island’s longest established artistic competitions and each year I am blown away by the high standard of entries at the heats. This year is no exception, we have some very talented musicians in Saturday’s finals competition and the adjudicator has a difficult task on her hands. I’m very much looking forward to their performances on the night.”

Abigail McDermott, Marketing Director at PwC, commented: “As long term sponsor of the PwC Jersey Young Musician of the Year competition, it’s fantastic to see year-on-year the wealth of musical talent in our local community. This competition really showcases the very best of Jersey’s young, gifted and disciplined musicians. Those that have made it to the final should be extremely proud of their achievements and I wish them the best of luck for the night and with their future musical careers.”

At the final, the category winners of the PwC Jersey Junior Musician of the Year Competition will also be presented with their trophies, having won their instrument category on Saturday 3rd and Sunday 4th February at Jersey College for Girls:

• Jersey Vocal Trust – Vocal Competition – Milleigh Milner
• Wendy Falla Piano Competition – Alfred Kemp
• Dorothy Chapman Trust String Competition – Prutha Tejpal (Violin)
• Island Music Woodwind Competition – Sophie Coates Rodriguez (Flute)
• Jersey Premier Brass – Brass Competition – Jasper Maddox (French Horn)

Pictured: Last year’s winner, Sydney Haskins