RNCM 2016 Gold Medal Winners

The RNCM held its Gold Medal Competition on Saturday 11 June featuring 10 of the College’s finest performers and four of its leading young composers, who wrote new works for the Abelia Saxophone Quartet (winners of the 2015 RNCM Chamber Ensemble of the Year Award).

Adjudicated by Dr John Allison (Editor of Opera magazine and music critic for The Daily Telegraph), Dr Michelle Castelletti (RNCM Artistic Director), Professor Philip Grange (composer), Peter Donohoe (pianist), and Professor Linda Merrick (RNCM Principal), this year’s winners were James Girling (guitar), Tyler Hay (piano), Danny Ryan (composer), Abel Selaocoe (cello) and Andres Yauri (bassoon). Pianist Philip Sharp was also Highly Commended by the panel.

Gold Medal 2016

Professor Merrick said of this year’s event: ‘The RNCM’s much-coveted Gold Medal celebrates exceptional performance and composition by students at the College. Each year the competition between students is extremely high and 2016 was no exception. The overall standard was absolutely exceptional and everyone who competed, especially the five winners, should be extremely proud of their achievement.’

The other 2016 competitors were: Adam Davies (piano), Elinor Nicholson (harp), Sam Rodwell (guitar), Richard Moore (bass-baritone) and Qiran Chen (clarinet), and composers Laura Nadal, Alexander Proudlock, and Aaron Breeze.

Picture caption, l-r: Dr Michelle Castelletti, Professor Philip Grange, Peter Donohoe, Professor Linda Merrick, Dr John Allison, Tyler Hay, Abel Selaocoe, Danny Ryan, James Girling, Andres Yauri and Philip Sharp.

12 June 2016