Music Scholar Mila won the final of the GDST Young Instrumentalist Musician of the Year competition.
The event was held over two days with the finalists taking the stage in the impressive surroundings of St John’s Smith Square in London, one of the country’s leading concert venues. The event featured finalists from across the GDST national network of 24 schools and two academies. They performed in front of a panel of acclaimed judges including award-winning cellist and Oxford High School alumna Jane Salmon, renowned pianist Peter Hill and conductor, Hilary Davan Wetton.
The final competition also featured a world-premiere of a newly-composed piece of music written by Grace-Evangeline Mason. Grace won the BBC Young Composer of the Year 2013 and has subsequently had her music played as part of the BBC Proms.
The competition narrowed to two finals: Instrumentalist and Vocalist – and OHS had finalists in both – Mila for Instrumentalist and Pandora for Vocalist. The girls had to perform in front of over 300 people and were delighted to have achieved such high ranking.
Said Director of Music, Roger Spikes “Music is such an important part of life in at Oxford High. For us to see so many young people showcasing their talents at this prestigious event in such a magnificent venue was an incredible experience. We are immensely proud of Mila and Pandora, who are an inspiration for all our young musicians here at OHS”.
