Young Musician - Finals - RIBI National Conference, Bournemouth 13th April 2012

New Generations - Young Musician - National Finals - Rotary GB&I National Conference 

Bournemouth 13th April 2012

The final of the Young Musician Competition 2012 took place in the Salvation Army Hall in Boscombe, Bournemouth, on Friday 13th April 2012. Sixteen competitors took part, eight in each element, vocal and instrumental. District 1190 and the Rotary Clubs of Clitheroe and Ribblesdale were represented by Alice O'Donnell (flautist) who was accompanied by the Director of Music at CRGS, Graham Moon.

The standard of all sixteen entrants was very high and the audience was entertained for almost four hours, by a magnificent display of young talent. Three flautists were entered in the instrumental section, and the overall winner, with an incredible performance, was Amy Jane Milton representing the Rotary Club of York Vikings, in District 1040. It is fair to say that there was considerable discussion between ourselves as to who would take first place between Alice and Amy but we accept the decision of the adjudicators, who were all drawn from professional musical backgrounds, with impressive levels of experience. Alice was therefore not placed in the top four instrumentalists and was eliminated from the competition.

On behalf of the the two Rotary Clubs I am writing to everyone who took part, or who were involved in the organisation of this competition, to express our sincere appreciation, firstly to the young people who performed at local and regional level,you were all excellent representatives of your schools and colleges. To the parents who supported these talented young people, a huge vote of thanks, and to the teachers, thank you for taking the time and trouble to identify and encourage your talented pupils. We know that there are competing demands upon your time, and your involvement was much appreciated. To Graham Moon at CRGS, many thanks for his unfailing support of Alice at local,  regional and national level, giving up three days of his holiday to be in Bournemouth to accompany Alice on her big day.

To Alice, your musical talent, your bubbly personality and your enthusiasm shone through at every stage and delighted all those with whom you came into contact. To your mum and dad, who we know are very proud of you, again a huge vote of thanks for their unfailing support and for ensuring that you arrived at each location prepared for the performances.

For those who attended the regional final in Bebington on 10th March, you will be pleased to know that Ruth Hoare, sponsored by the Rotary Club of Neston in District 1180, was overall winner in the vocalist section.

Now to the future. Our two Rotary Clubs have already agreed to be involved in this competition in 2013 and the local element will take place, with the consent of Rev Andy Froud, at St.Mary's Parish Church in Clitheroe, on Saturday 13th October 2012.

Our local schools and colleges have already been approached to identify pupils who may be considered, and so far, Toni Hudson from St. Augustine's, Matthew Lacy from Oakhill College,

Olivia Mason from Ribblesdale, Greg Mann from Stonyhurst and Graham Moon from CRGS

have all agreed to involve their schools. With this in mind I will be contacting these teachers individually in the next couple of weeks to arrange a meeting to discuss progress in identifying those who will take part, and to address any other issues of concern.

To those who competed this year can I say that we would be delighted if you wish to be become involved again, provided that you still meet meet the criteria and will be aged between 11 and 17 as of 31st August 2012. You can contact me directly by email or speak to your music teachers. I hope that we will have sufficient numbers by the start of the long summer break to ensure a viable competition.

Jeff Riding