Sussex Young Musician of the Year Finalist

Jamie Andrews, one of our Organ Scholars, was a finalist in the Sussex Young Musician of the Year 2020! Congratulations, Jamie, a fantastic achievement! 

Jamie shared some thoughts on the competition with us: 

"I was recently a finalist in the Sussex Young Musician competition 2020. The competition is run by Coro Nuovo, a choir based in Sussex directed by the tenor Andrew Rees, as part of their outreach programme to help support local young musicians who are starting out in their careers.

Usually, the competition is held in person but this year, participants were required to send in a 10 minute video of their playing with a short spoken introduction. I sent a video of myself playing an organ piece (J.S. Bach's 'Fugue in A minor' BWV 543) and a Piano piece (Sancan's 'Mouvement').

The judges were the broadcaster Katie Derham, the composer Jonathan Dove and the conductor Mark Wigglesworth. Out of over forty applicants, I was one of five selected to go through to the final which was held virtually over zoom in early October. It was brilliant to hear comments from the judges and to meet the other finalists. The winner was announced as Toril Azzalini-Machecler, a percussionist currently studying at the Royal College of Music.

All the finalists were awarded financial prizes to help with their studies. I'm so grateful to Coro Nuovo and the judges for the opportunity and their support of young musicians at a time when so many are struggling with the current restrictions on live performance."