2021 Sussex Young Musician of the Year final to be video-streamed

Coro Nuovo, the organisers of the 2021 Sussex Young Musician of the Year competition, sponsored by Traditional Oak and Timber Company Tradoak, will video-stream the final of the competition on YouTube on Wednesday, July 21 at 7pm.
Catherine KentCatherine Kent
Catherine Kent

Catherine Kent chairman of Coro Nuovo, said: “The Sussex Young Musician of the Year competition offers young musicians aged between 18 and 26, the chance to win cash prizes to help support their music studies – £1000 for the winner, £500 for the runner-up and £250 each for other finalists.

“Due to Covid rules and regulations this is the second year that the competition has been run in a fully online format.

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“However, we are delighted to announce that this year’s competition judge will be Sakari Oramo, the chief conductor of the BBC Symphony Orchestra and the Royal Stockholm Philharmonic Orchestra.

“This autumn, Sakari will be conducting BBC’s Last Night of the Proms, which he has conducted since 2014. Sakari will be judging the Sussex Young Musician Competition and appearing on the YouTube video stream of the competition final from his home in Helsinki, Finland.

“Despite the online format, the competition attracted over thirty applicants all of which are pursuing studies in music and have a connection with Sussex.”

The four finalists selected by Coro Nuovo to perform in the Competition Final are:

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Jane Burnell (Soprano) – Jane is 24 years old and from Cuckfield. She is currently studying for a master’s in music at the Royal Northern College in Manchester. Jane a profound lover of choral music, a regular recitalist and concert soloist she is also a keen conductor.

Laurence Cuttriss (Clarinet) – Laurence is 23 and from Burgess Hill. Laurence has just graduated from Trinity Laban College, London and is hoping to go to the Juillard School in New York later this year. His aim is to be a professional clarinettist.

Maria Luc (Piano) – Maria is 25 and from Chichester. She is also at the Royal Northern College in Manchester and is a regular performer and recitalist. Maria enjoys arranging and composing and can often be seen at concerts performing in Chichester.

Nancy Holt (Mezzo Soprano) – Nancy is 26 and from Shoreham by Sea. Nancy is at Guildhall School of Music studying opera. She has performed widely with many opera companies and is looking forward to a career as a solo artist.

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Catherine added: “We were overwhelmed by not only the volume of entries to this year’s competition but also the quality of audition performances. It is fair to say that there are plenty of incredibly talented musicians in Sussex. Congratulations to all our finalists and a big thank you to everyone who took the time to enter the competition - we really do wish we could reward more local musicians on their journeys.

“At Coro Nuovo we are all aware that embarking on a professional music career does not come easy, especially with mainstream schools scaling back on the arts, and the ever-rising cost of tuition, exams, and instruments so I really hope that these bursaries help out.”

For more information on the competition and the link to the final go to https://coronuovo.org.uk/young-musician/