Wiggin Strikes Gold at this Year’s ROSL ARTS Final

The RNCM is immensely proud to announce that saxophonist Huw Wiggin has won the Gold Medal in what has been an outstanding Royal Over-Seas League ARTS competition for RNCM students past and present.

Taking place at Queen Elizabeth Hall, Southbank Centre on Monday 6 May, the grand final featured all winners from the solo Section Finals, including Huw, winner of the Wind and Percussion Section, and undergraduate Toby Hughes, who made history as the first double bassist to win the Strings Section in the competition’s 62 year history.

Performing to a prestigious panel of judges Huw, accompanied by James Sherlock (winner of the ROSL ARTS Accompanist Prize), played Karlheinz Stockhausen’s Freundschaft, Marcello’s Adagio from his Concerto in D minor, and Pedro Iturralde’s Pequena Czarda to secure the Gold Medal and prize money totalling £15,000.

Talking of his success he said: ‘I felt very lucky to be part of such a prestigious event playing alongside other incredible musicians. Winning this award feels absolutely amazing!’

RNCM ensembles also featured heavily in this year’s competition, with the Solem Quartet (comprising violinists and 2013 graduates Michael Jones and Catherine Landen, postgraduate violist Alistair Vennart and fourth year cellist Stephanie Tress) winning the Ensemble A Section Final, and the Zelkova Quartet (violinists Caroline Pether and Simran Singh, violist Rhiannon James, and cellist Jonathan Pether) receiving the Elias Fawcett Award. Forming part of their prizes, both Solem and Zelkova were given the opportunity to perform at Queen Elizabeth Hall during the main competition final.

8 May 2014