Congratulations to Eleanor (Year 12) for making it through to the state-level round of Jugend Musiziert, a prestigious youth music competition in Germany, having been awarded 25 out of a possible 25 marks for her recital in the regional rounds.
Requiring music from at least two time periods, as well as both slow and fast movements, her 18-minute recital demanded a monumental amount of planning and practice, which she kicked off approximately 8 months ahead of the competition date.
Eleanor’s result is made all the more impressive when considering the obstacles she had to negotiate along the way. In her own words:
“When I competed on the recorder in 2018, entering this competition was very straightforward. Not so this year. Roughly three weeks before the first, regional round, I found out that my particular round had been cancelled due to the pandemic. Trying to think about solutions, I sent emails to various members of the main organisers of Jugend Musiziert to see whether there was any possibility for me to participate after all. Phenomenally, the fantastic organiser of the Nord-Ost competition, having sought formal approval, allowed me participate remotely at his venue.
This all happened within the space of a week which found me trying out sets at home to comply with Covid regulations in Britain and grapple with the production of the video. Finally, I put on a concert dress and pretended it was all happening live. This video was then sent off and played live at the event. I was thrilled to gain 25 out of 25 possible marks which allows me to enter the state-level round of the competition in March.”
On behalf of the whole OHS community, congratulations and good luck in the state round, Eleanor. We’re all rooting for you!
