Finalists for the 2023 Sussex Young Musician competition are announced

Coro Nuovo chairman Catherine Kent said: “Kitty Casey (soprano), at just 22 years old, hailing from Worthing, is currently pursuing a vocal master's degree at the renowned Royal Northern College in Manchester. Her captivating voice has already mesmerised audiences. James Edgeler (tenor), also from Worthing, is a 26-year-old rising star studying for a MA in vocal studies at the prestigious Royal Academy of Music. Brighton-born Eliette Harris (violin), aged 26, is captivating audiences with her remarkable violin skills. She is currently enrolled in the esteemed advanced string orchestral programme at the Royal Northern College/Halle in Manchester.

“The Sussex Young Musician Competition presents an exceptional opportunity for aspiring musicians aged 18 to 26 to compete for bursaries that provide financial support for their musical studies.”

Catherine added: “We received numerous applications for this year's competition and are consistently amazed by the incredible talent of young musicians in Sussex. Congratulations to all the finalists and a heartfelt thank you to everyone who entered the competition.”

The final will be held on July 15 at 7pm at Perrymount Methodist Church, Haywards Heath. The competition adjudicator will be artistic director, pianist and coach Libby Burgess. For details see: https://coronuovo.org.uk/concerts-and-events/

Last year Zoe Barnett, from Chichester, was crowned the winner of the 2022 Coro Nuovo Sussex Young Musician competition with a £1,000 prize. Sponsored by P&S Gallagher and My Sherpa Ltd the competition gave young musicians the chance to receive cash prizes to help support their music studies.

After two years of running the competition online, three finalists played live at Coro Nuovo’s Jubilee concert in Burgess Hill. The finalists were judged by David Lawrence.

The first winner in 2016 was Hannah Corcoran (saxophone) who was originally from Brighton