PwC Junior musician of the year competition

Five impressive finalists ready to compete in prestigious music competition to find Jersey’s young musician of the year

One of the Island’s longest established artistic competitions celebrating the musical prowess of young Islanders reaches its climax this month.

The final of the PwC Jersey Young Musician of the Year competition, organised by the Jersey Music Service and sponsored by PwC, takes place at the Jersey Arts Centre on Saturday 11th March from 7pm.

Some of the most talented young musicians on the Island will take to the stage. The performer who delivers the most expressive and technically accomplished performance of their chosen repertoire on the night, will leave 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 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.

This year the finalists are:

• Edward Clark – Winner of the Island Music String Heat (Violin)
• Chloé Connor – Winner of the Island Music Woodwind Heat (Flute)
• Sydney Haskins – Winner of the Jersey Vocal Trust – Vocal Heat
• Isaac Tarrant – Winner of the Wendy Falla Piano Heat
• Leo Vernaglione – Winner of the Jersey Premier Brass – Brass Heat (trumpet)

The adjudicators on the evening are Professor Shirley Thompson – Interim Principal of Royal Birmingham Conservatoire and Professor David Horne, Head of the Graduate School at the Royal Northern College of Music.

There will be a guest performance too from 2022 winner, pianist Augustine Stayte (pictured).

The competition is now in its 31st year and many previous winners, across a whole array of instruments including piano, flute, violin, saxophone, guitar, percussion, cello, trombone, voice and euphonium, have gone on to pursue successful careers in music.

Dr Graham Cox, Principal of Jersey Music Service, said: “It was really pleasing to see that the recent heats were of such a high standard and the field for the final looks very strong indeed. I think we can expect some exciting performances and a really varied programme from the finalists.  The adjudicators have a difficult task ahead, deciding who the deserved winner of this prestigious accolade should be.”

Abigail McDermott, Marketing Director at PwC, commented: “As long-term sponsor of the PwC Jersey Young Musician of the Year competition, it’s remarkable to see the incredibly high standard of performances from the young, gifted and disciplined musicians taking part each year. The competition, having now surpassed its 30 year milestone, remains very well supported by the local community. Since its inception, this competition has a great track record of inspiring many participants to drive forward with their musical careers and I’m sure there are musicians in this year’s competition who will go on to experience tremendous success.”

At this Saturday’s final, winners of the PwC Junior Musician of the Year Competitions, Amelia Weber (piano), Esther Lewis (flute), Harry Hall (trumpet), Georgina Drummond (violin) and Alfred Kemp (voice) will also be presented with their trophies, having already won their instrument category in February.