Rotary Young Musicians Competition

An audience of about one hundred enjoyed the competition between ten young musicians on Saturday 16 November 2024 6pm St John the Evangelist Church Pevensey/Brittany Road, St Leonards. At stake was a place to represent Hastings in the Southeast heats of the Rotary Young Musician competition, which will be held in Sheerness next February and from which successful participants take part in a national final.

A representative from the Rotary Club of Hastings said, “The judges had to choose one vocalist and one instrumentalist from the high calibre performances but were unanimous in their selection of a vocalist, Eden Brewer-Johnson and a pianist, Alex Wakeford.”

Eden said “I have been performing since the age of 6 and I first competed in the Hastings Music Festival when I was 7 years old and have continued to compete every year since. I love performing and showing my passion for what I do. Someday I’d like to further my career in performance on stage and screen.”

Alex said “I have been studying the piano for 10 years. I study at Battle Abbey School where I also hold both a music and an organ scholarship. I sing in the school choir which I also accompany during rehearsals, and the chamber choir. I hope to go on and study music at either a university of conservatoire and am certain it will play a part in my future whether as a career, passion or both!”

A spokesperson from the Rotary Club of Hastings said “This is a wonderful opportunity for local talented young people to show off their talents and compete at a high level. The Rotary Club is very grateful to the help and support provided by the Hastings Musical Festival in identifying competitors and organising the event.”

The Rotary Young Musician Competition is organised and promoted by Rotary International in Great Britain and Ireland (Rotary GB&I).

There are four stages to the competition, each designed to support and encourage the development of musical talent.

The competition is open to all young instrumentalists and vocalists irrespective of their levels, grades and styles including modern genres.

The competition aims to offer young people:

·            the experience of performing on a public stage

·            an opportunity to showcase their musical talent

·            impartial feedback and assessment of their performance by experienced adjudicators

The competition is open to all young people up to the age of 17 on 31st August 2024. The President of The Rotary Club said “It is very encouraging in this modern day to see a group of young people who are committed to and have reached a high standard of achievement with their musical skills, and I believe that this type of event should be encouraged. I believe that it is a credit to the Rotary Club of Hastings that we became involved with and sponsor this type of event.”