Brass and Woodwind students from seven Conservatoires represented at 2012 YMFE Scholarship finals

Following a record number of entries, ten students representing a magnificent seven of the UK’s leading conservatoires have been chosen to perform at the finals of the prestigious annual Yamaha Music Foundation of Europe Scholarship awards to be held at The Royal Northern College of Music on February 15th 2012.

The finalists will have their performances judged by a panel of world-class artists and tutors with the three winning finalists each receiving £2000 to assist the furthering of their studies and classical music careers. The awards also offer a high profile opportunity for publicity as the winners embark on their musical careers.
This year the selected discipline is Brass and Woodwind and with the awards scheme in its 22nd year, the scholarships have established an international reputation for showcasing the finest emerging talent and boast particularly strong alumni, many of whom are now enjoying successful careers. These include saxophonist Amy Dickson, euphonium player David Childs and pianists Sasha Grynuk and Eduard Kunz.

Preliminary judges David Purser (Head of Brass) and Jenni Phillips (Head of Woodwind) from Birmingham Conservatoire reported an exceptionally high standard and unanimously agreed upon the 2012 finalists who had submitted unedited recordings of two contrasting works. At the final, the finalists will each perform a programme of 30 minutes duration where the final judging panels will include:Dr Paul Goodey (Chair) - Head of Wind, Brass & Percussion at the RNCM
David Chatterton - Head of Brass at Chetham's School of Music
Heather Nicoll - Head of Woodwind at the Royal Conservatoire of Scotland
David Purser - Head of Brass at Birmingham Conservatoire

The Yamaha Music Foundation of Europe is a charitable trust launched in 1989 with a remit to assist talented young musicians. It currently operates in 31 countries and since its foundation has provided over 850 scholarships amounting to in excess of €1 million. The awards are open to UK and Republic of Ireland students under the age of 25 and currently studying on a full-time music course at a higher education institution. The Republic of Ireland final will take place on 6th February 2012 at The Royal Irish Academy of Music in Dublin (finalists still to be announced).
Each year the YMFE instrument emphasis rotates between Piano, Brass & Woodwind, Orchestral Strings, Percussion and Voice. Last year was dedicated to Orchestral Strings.

Bill Martin, Education Manager at Yamaha Music Europe GmbH (UK) stated, "This year has not only seen a record number of entries, but to have as many as seven different Conservatoires represented in the final round is unprecedented. We are looking forward to some outstanding performances in the finals. Each year the standards seem to get higher and we are delighted to be able to offer these scholarships in order that these immensely talented musicians can further their studies."

The 2012 UK finalists are:

Emma Halnan - Flute, Royal Academy of Music
Caoimhe de Paor - Recorder, Guildhall School of Music & Drama
Alastair Penman - Saxophone, Royal Northern College of Music
Raymond Hearne - Tuba, Guildhall School of Music & Drama
Matthew Williams - Trumpet, Royal Welsh College of Music & Drama
Jack McNeill - Clarinet, Birmingham Conservatoire
Carolina Patricio - Flute, Guildhall School of Music & Drama
James Maltby - Clarinet, Royal College of Music
Antonio Jimenez Marin - Trombone, Royal Conservatoire of Scotland
Fraser Langton - Clarinet, Royal Conservatoire of Scotland

For further information on YMFE visit www.ymfe.yamaha-europe.com