BBC Young Musician 2020 celebrates young musical talent at the time of lockdown

The biennial BBC Young Musician competition returns in May with the Category Finals which were recorded before social distancing measures came into place.

Published: 27 April 2020
It's an immense honour to be making my TV debut presenting the competition this year, and a privilege to play even a small part in a competition that inspires so many.
— Anna Lapwood

Now into its fifth decade, this is the talent show that has stood the test of time. This latest instalment of the Category Finals will inspire audiences by providing a showcase for the UK’s most talented young classical performers.

BBC Young Musician - the leading UK contest for classical musicians that has launched the careers of international stars such as Nicola Benedetti, Mark Simpson and Sheku Kanneh-Mason - returns to BBC Four and iPlayer in a completely new format. Celebrating up-and-coming musical talents and their inspiring determination, the competition’s Category Finals - as per tradition presenting some of the best young instrumentalists in the fields of keyboard, woodwind, brass, percussion, and strings - were recorded pre-lockdown at the Royal Welsh College of Music and Drama in Cardiff. They will be broadcast over five weeks, starting on Sunday 3 May with the keyboard finalists.

Part of the BBC cross-platform digital arts festival Culture in Quarantine, taking cultural content to audiences’ homes during lockdown, the Category Finals will provide moments for viewers to enjoy the competitors’ musical skills on different platforms: BBC Four will broadcast hour-long highlights of each of the Category Finals while the complete concerts will be available in full on the BBC iPlayer. There will also be complementary coverage on BBC Radio 3 and lots more content on the BBC Young Musician website.

Highlights on BBC Four will be hosted by rising star organist, conductor, music education advocate, and #playitlikeagirl initiator Anna Lapwood - 24 years old and making her TV presenting debut. Joining Anna will be past finalists and guests such as Leon McCawley, Katherine Bryan, David Childs, Owen Gunnell and Matthew Trusler. The series also features trailblazing saxophonist Jess Gillam - a competition finalist herself in 2016 and currently making waves in the classical music world. Jess presents a series of ‘in conversations’ with former young musicians and other leading figures such as 2018 winner Lauren Zhang, Ben Goldscheider, Nicholas Daniel, and Lucy Landymore - all currently at the forefront of changing the scene in the UK. For audiences who wish to see the Category Finals in full, broadcaster, painter and BBC Young Musician regular Josie d’Arby (image below) introduces the complete concerts for BBC iPlayer.

The BBC Young Musician Semi Final and Grand Final are currently scheduled for broadcast in the autumn, along with the Final of BBC Young Jazz Musician 2020 which will be staged as part of the EFG London Jazz Festival in November.

Jan Younghusband, Head of BBC Music TV Commissioning, says: “Once again we see outstanding talent in these category finals, luckily filmed just before lockdown. The BBC remains committed to giving young musicians a platform to share their talent and hopefully get a start in their careers. We wanted to bring these category finals to the public, while we wait for the semi and final in the autumn as these young musicians have put so much into their performances. We hope our audiences enjoy seeing some of the greatest new talents performing for them on BBC Four.”

BBC Young Musician Executive Editor, Paul Bullock, says: “BBC Young Musician is one of those very special projects that as television producers we are privileged to be involved in. This year, more than ever, the series provides the opportunity to witness supremely talented and dedicated young people performing to the highest standard, reminding us of the power great music has to lift spirits, provide solace and inspire us all.”

Anna Lapwood says: “BBC Young Musician has played a huge part in the musical development of so many people, not just those who compete but those who are inspired by watching people their own age excel. I have such fond memories of curling up on the sofa to watch it as a child and completely idolising all of the finalists. It's an immense honour to be making my TV debut presenting the competition this year, and a privilege to play even a small part in a competition that inspires so many.”

Jess Gillam says: “I had such an incredible experience competing in BBC Young Musician 2016 so it was brilliant to return and make this series with fascinating musicians.”

BBC Young Musician 2020 is managed and produced by BBC Studios Music and Entertainment Wales.

EC

Category Finalists

Keyboard
(all piano)

  • Sejin Yoon
  • Jacky Zhang
  • Bridget Yee
  • Thomas Luke
  • Harvey Lin

Woodwind

  • Daisy Noton (flute)
  • Marian Bozhidarov (clarinet)
  • Ewan Millar (oboe)
  • Eliza Haskins (recorder)
  • Alice Gore (bassoon)

Brass

  • Joseph Longstaff (french horn)
  • Meggie Murphy (trombone)
  • William Burton (tuba)
  • Annemarie Federle (french horn)
  • Rhydian Tiddy (trombone)

Percussion

  • Lewis Kentaro Isaacs
  • Isaac Harari
  • Toril Azzalini-Machecler
  • Fang Zhang
  • Alexander Pullen

Strings

  • Mio Takahashi (violin)
  • Ellen Baumring-Gledhill (cello)
  • Ilai Avni (violin)
  • Huw Boucher (harp)
  • Coco Tomita (violin)

Jury

General Judge - Angela Dixon
Woodwind - Amy Harman, Piers Adams with TV guest Katherine Bryan
Brass - Katy Woolley, Peter Moore with TV guest David Childs
Strings - Fenella Humphreys, Stephen Fitzpatrick with TV guest Matthew Trusler
Keyboard - Katya Apekisheva, Peter Donohoe with TV guest Leon McCawley
Percussion - Simone Rebello, Julian Warburton with TV guest Owen Gunnell
Semi Final - John Hardy, Chi-chi Nwanoku, Lisa Tregale with TV guest Tim Rhys-Evans

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