The Marlowe Young Musician of the Year 2009

Date: Wednesday 23 September 2009

This annual competition for the 'best' young musicians in Kent has been held for the better part of the last twenty years under the auspices of the Marlowe Theatre, and has proved a happy hunting ground for several St Edmund's pupils, not least Eli Gow and Xandra Fletcher, and their virtuosity on the cello.

This year the competition moved to the Gulbenkian Theatre, for obvious reasons, and in the more intimate atmosphere of the University venue, six finalists performed their chosen pieces with the Kent Concert Orchestra, under the baton of John Perkins. St Edmund's provided two of the six, in the shapes of Alexandra Abley and Benedict Preece.

Alex was second up, after the well supported KC violinist Caitlin Shaughnessy, and produced an excellent performance of Vivaldi's Recorder Concerto in A minor. She was not helped by the orchestra, who virtually drowned her out in the outside movements, and might have shown a little more empathy with the delicacy of the recorder as an instrument. Alex, however, produced a beautiful, lyrical rendition of the second - largo - movement, and showed real musicality.

Ben gave the packed audience a real performance of Richard Strauss's Horn Concerto No 1 in Eflat, attacking this mainstream piece with verve and vitality. Again, in a piece which is almost a showpiece for symphony orchestra, as much as for the soloist, the Concert Orchestra was feeling its way, more than Ben was! Ben certainly earned the accolade of principal adjudicator John Georgiadis for his passion and his desire to 'play the music'.

Sadly, however, recorders and French horns rarely win competitions of this type, and the title was finally presented to Ellie Eden, a 14-year old from Walthamstow Hall, who took the hall by storm with her sheer presence as she gave us, calmly, powerfully, and from memory, Rossini's 'Introduction, Theme and Variations' for clarinet - she is now, deservedly, the Marlowe Young Musician of the Year, and most impartial observers would agree with the decision. The conductor's prize, for the musician most appreciated, in rehearsal, by conductor and orchestra, went to Thomas Pollock, who also performed the Strauss concerto, with almost dispassionate precision.

The evening was warmly and enthusiastically compered by Classic FM presenter Jane Jones, who recognised the wide range of musical choice, and the sheer talent - and hard work - of the soloists. Our two can look back on the evening with real pride, and as a fantastic opportunity to work with a professional orchestra, in front of a paying audience, all expecting to be entertained. And they were - regally. Thank you Alex and Ben! Not easy when up against performers already with places at the Guildhall School of Music and Drama.