BBC Young Musician celebrates 40th anniversary

• BBC Young Musician 2018 launches on BBC Four on Friday 6 April with complementary coverage on BBC Radio 3
• 25 young musicians compete for the title of BBC Young Musician 2018
• Television presenters across the series include Josie D’Arby and Clemency Burton-Hill with Alison Balsom
• BBC Young Musician launches a brand new series of podcasts presented by 2016 Finalist, Jess Gillam
• BBC Four documentary BBC Young Musician: Forty Years Young explores the history and future of the competition, with contributors including many former winners and finalists, along with Julian Lloyd Webber, Humphrey Burton and actor Richard Wilson
• Nicola Benedetti continues in her role as BBC Young Musician Ambassador

Since the competition was first held in 1978, it has come to be regarded as the benchmark for outstanding young talent, with a reputation for discovering and championing the stars of the future. The 2016 winner, 17-year-old cellist Sheku Kanneh-Mason, has gone on to perform at range of high-profile events including at the BBC Proms and the BAFTAs, and his recent debut album made history by crashing into the top twenty in the Official Album Charts and topping the Classical Charts.

Other past winners of BBC Young Musician include cellist Natalie Clein, clarinettist and composer Mark Simpson and oboist Nicholas Daniel, and there’s an illustrious list of former finalists too: pianists Stephen Hough and Stephen Osborne, violinist Tasmin Little, pianist, conductor and composer Thomas Adès, percussionist Colin Currie and flautist Juliette Bausor - to name a few.

BBC Young Musician will launch on BBC Four on Friday 6 April, running weekly until the Grand Final on Sunday 13 May, with complementary coverage on BBC Radio 3. The five Category Finals (Strings, Percussion, Woodwind, Brass and Keyboard) will be presented on television by Josie D’Arby, who will be joined by BBC Young Musician 1998 finalist, trumpeter Alison Balsom and BBC Young Musician 2004 winner, violinist Nicola Benedetti for the Semi-Final. Each Category will comprise of five finalists, who will perform in front of an audience and a specialist panel of adjudicators at the new Royal Birmingham Conservatoire. One musician from each Category Final will go through to the Semi-Final, with three going through to the Grand Final.

Nicola Benedetti continues as the 2018 BBC Young Musician Ambassador for the third competition running, and will mentor the 2018 Semi-Finalists in the run-up to the Grand Final.

The Grand Final will take place at Symphony Hall Birmingham on Sunday 13 May, accompanied by the City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra, conducted by Mark Wigglesworth. It will be broadcast later the same day on BBC Four presented by Clemency Burton-Hill, Josie D’Arby with Alison Balsom, and also on BBC Radio 3, presented by Kate Molleson.

All performances from the series will be available to view in full on the BBC Young Musician website.

The 40th anniversary of BBC Young Musician will be marked by a host of additional activity, including a brand new series of BBC Young Musician podcasts, presented by 2016 Finalist, saxophonist Jess Gillam, who will explore what it takes to be a musician in today’s world, with help from a host of special guests.

A special documentary on BBC Four will follow the soaring careers of the three finalists from 2016, cellist Sheku Kanneh-Mason, saxophonist Jess Gillam and French horn player Ben Goldscheider, as well as exploring the long history and exciting future of the competition with help from a wide selection of contributors including Nicola Benedetti, Humphrey Burton (who co-created the competition and presented it for many years), conductor Mark Wigglesworth, and music critic Jessica Duchen.

2018 will also see the first ever BBC Young Musician Prom, which will feature performances from former winners and finalists. Further information will be announced at the launch of the BBC Proms 2018 programme on Thursday 19 April.

Each of the competition rounds is judged by an expert panel of musicians. Kerry Andrew, this year’s BBC Ten Pieces III commissioned composer, will be the cross-category judge throughout the competition. She will be joined by the following judges:

• Strings: Double bassist Leon Bosch, violinist Jennifer Pike and guitarist Miloš Karadaglić
• Percussion: Owen Gunnell and Daniella Ganeva
• Woodwind: Clarinettist Emma Johnson and flutist Juliette Bausor
• Brass: Simon Cowen and Simon Cox
• Keyboard: Tom Poster and Ronan O’Hora
• Semi-Final: Composer Kerry Andrew, conductor Jessica Cottis, cellist and Principal of the Royal Birmingham Conservatoire Julian Lloyd Webber and Chief Executive of the Scottish Chamber Orchestra and Chair of the ABO, Gavin Reid

The 25 young musicians who make up the 2018 category finalists can be found here.

The BBC Four broadcast dates can be found below:

• Friday 6 April - Strings Category Final
• Friday 13 April - Percussion Category Final
• Friday 20 April - Woodwind Category Final
• Friday 27 April - Brass Category Final
• Friday 4 May - Keyboard Category Final
• Friday 11 May - Semi-Final
• Sunday 13 May - Grand Final

BBC Young Jazz Musician will also return in 2018 with further details to be announced next week.

BBC Young Musician and BBC Young Jazz Musician are run and produced by BBC Studios Music and Entertainment Wales and are broadcast on BBC Four television and BBC Radio 3.

MC4

BBC Young Musician - Forty Years Young

BBC Four, TX tbc

To mark the 40th birthday of BBC Young Musician, a look back at this hugely influential competition focussing on the soaring careers of the three finalists from 2016, cellist Sheku Kanneh-Mason, saxophonist Jess Gillam and French horn player Ben Goldscheider.

From its inception in 1978, BBC Young Musician has been a national institution and performers who’ve won or taken part amount to a roll call of contemporary British classical music. It’s a showcase keenly watched by the music business and an appearance in the final often opens the door to a major career.

Even by the high standards set by the competition, the most recent final in 2016 was very special indeed. The winner Sheku Kanneh-Mason is now Britain’s most talked about young musician - he topped the classical charts with his first CD and played twice at the BAFTA Awards. His co-finalists Jess Gillam and Ben Goldscheider are also making waves, Jess already featured as a soloist at the Proms and both tipped for stellar careers. This programme follows Sheku, Jess and Ben over the two years since the final, seeing how these young players, all of whom are still in their late teens, are balancing the demands of a blossoming career with their studies at music school.

The pressures faced by Sheku, Jess and Ben are nothing new and alongside telling the stories of the 2016 trio, the programme also meets many former winners and finalists. These include violinist Nicola Benedetti, winner in 2004 and now an ambassador for the competition, cellist Natalie Clein who won in 1994, percussionist Adrian Spillett, victor in 1998, violinist Jennifer Pike who triumphed aged just 12 in 2002 and pianist Martin James Bartlett the winner of the 2014 final. Also interviewed is acclaimed trumpeter Alison Balsom, now a regular presenter of BBC Young Musician, who despite not winning the competition, still sees it as an extremely important springboard for her career.

The programme interviews Humphrey Burton who co-created the competition and presented it for many years and oboist Nicholas Daniel, the second winner in 1980, who’s since gone on to be one of Britain’s most acclaimed classical soloists. Also interviewed is actor Richard Wilson, star of One Foot in the Grave, a long-time fan of the competition, who admits to getting slightly tearful at the sight of young musicians playing with such brilliance.

With contributions from conductor Mark Wigglesworth, music critic Jessica Duchen and principal of the Royal Birmingham Conservatoire Julian Lloyd Webber, the programme celebrates forty years of BBC Young Musician and shows that never been a more valued and relevant part of the UK classical music scene.

BBC Young Musician podcast

Published on the BBC Young Musician website, weekly from Friday 6 April

19-year old Jess Gillam has taken the classical music world by storm since being the first saxophonist to reach the final of BBC Young Musician in 2016. In this series of six podcasts, she’s joined by two of her friends and musical partners, pianist Zeynep Ozcusa and bass player Sam Becker, to explore just what it takes to make a life in music. They’ll be joined by special guests, including former Young Musicians winners Nicola Bennedetti and Sheku-Kanneh Mason, to talk about everything from stage fright and memorising music, to choosing what to wear on stage.

Quotes

Sheku Kanneh-Mason, winner, BBC Young Musician 2016, says: "I always found BBC Young Musician incredibly inspiring growing up and used to imagine what it would be like to take part. Going through the process of preparing for each round, learning how to focus on the music above all else and to perform under pressure - all fantastic learning experiences as a musician. Winning BBC Young Musician has made a big difference to my career and resulted in some really amazing opportunities."

Nicola Benedetti, Ambassador, BBC Young Musician 2018, says: "I am delighted to continue as Ambassador of BBC Young Musician. I’m so looking forward to following the competition again this year and of course to celebrating its 40th birthday.

"After four decades, BBC Young Musician continues to do so much to develop and support young musical talent, bringing it to the attention of audiences and the classical music industry alike. Indeed, it’s a competition like no other; a competition that is open to all instruments which takes place over a several months, allowing for a more friendly and supportive atmosphere than many others.

"With an ever-increasing focus given to mentoring and developmental support for the participants, BBC Young Musician more than ever has the ability to stand for something we shy away from - equally celebrating excellence and inclusivity. I owe so much to BBC Young Musician as do so many others and I can’t wait to hear the talents that lie in store in this special birthday year.”

Kerry Andrew, Cross-Category Judge, BBC Young Musician 2018, says: "I'm a big fan of BBC Young Musician and watch it every year. It's a national institution, and an important showcase for our country's young classical talent, as well as providing a springboard for many who go on to glittering careers.

"It's a huge honour to be asked to be a judge, and I'm very much looking forward to hearing the UK's best and brightest young performers."