BBC Young Musician Category Finals begin on Friday 18 April

BBC Young Musician, the UK’s leading contest for young classical musicians, begins on Friday 18 April, presented by two of today’s biggest classical music artists – trumpeter Alison Balsom and guitarist Miloš Karadaglic
BBC Young Musician Category Finals begin on Friday 18 April on BBC Four as 25 young musicians compete to be crowned BBC Young Musician 2014

Since the competition’s first outing in 1978 BBC Young Musician has established an enviable reputation for finding outstanding new talent. Two years ago, 15 year-old cellist Laura van der Heijden was awarded the title BBC Young Musician 2012 to take her place alongside a star-studded list of former winners and finalists that includes Thomas Adès, Alison Balsom, Nicola Benedetti, Thomas Carroll, Natalie Clein, Michael Collins, Nicholas Daniel, Benjamin Grosvenor, Stephen Hough, Emma Johnson, Guy Johnston, Freddy Kempf, Leon McCawley, Lucy Parham, Jennifer Pike, Tom Poster, David Pyatt and Paul Watkins.
 
Alison and Miloš will present the five BBC Young Musician Category Finals (Strings, Keyboard, Woodwind, Brass and Percussion) as well as the Semi-Final. Each Category comprises five finalists, who perform to a live audience and a specialist panel of adjudicators. One musician from each Category will go through to the Semi-Final, with three going through to the Final at Usher Hall in Edinburgh on Sunday 18 May, broadcast on BBC Four and BBC Radio 3.
 
The 2014 Category Finalists are:
 
Strings:
William Dutton (19) – violin
Dogyung Anna Im (16) – violin
Elizaveta Tyun (18) – violin
Roberto Ruisi (17) – violin
Juliana Myslov (17) - harp
 
Percussion:
Matthew Farthing (18)
Elliott Gaston-Ross (15)
Jess Wood (16)
Tom Highnam (17)
Stefan Beckett (18)
 
Keyboard:
Martin James Bartlett (17) - piano
Ning Hui See (18) – piano
Hayley Parkes (18) - piano
Julian Trevelyan (15)  - piano
Isata Kanneh-Mason (17) - piano
 
Brass:
Ellena Newton (14) - trombone
Isobel Daws (14) - trombone
Matilda Lloyd (18) - trumpet
Lewis Bettles (18) - trombone
Will Thomas (13) – trumpet
 
Woodwind:
Hannah Foster (17) - flute
Daniel Shao (19) - flute
Jess Gillam (15) - saxophone
Nick Seymour (17) - saxophone
Sophie Westbrooke (15) - recorder
 

The 2014 Category Finals and Semi-Final were recorded in the Dora Stoutzker Hall, Royal Welsh College of Music and Drama, Cardiff. The BBC Young Musician Final will take place on 18 May 2014 at Usher Hall in Edinburgh in front of an audience and a panel of adjudicators. The Final will be broadcast on BBC FOUR and BBC Radio 3.
 
For the first time this year BBC Young Musician has announced an Ambassadorial role for violinist Nicola Benedetti, one of its most celebrated former winners. 2014 is the 10th anniversary of Nicola’s win, and for the 2014 Final, BBC Young Musician will return to the scene of her triumph, Usher Hall in Edinburgh.
 
The BBC Four broadcast dates can be found below, as well as Programme Information for the five Category Finals.
 
BBC Four broadcast dates:
18 April – Strings Category Final
25 April – Percussion Category Final
2 May – Woodwind Category Final
9 May – Keyboard Category Final
16 May – Brass Category Final
17 May – Semi-Final
18 May - Final
 
Further info below: 
BBC Young Musician 2014
Twitter: @BBCYM2014
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