Postgraduate double bassist Toby Hughes has won the 2016 Bromsgrove International Musicians’ Competition.
The 23-year-old, who is studying for an International Artist Diploma, walked away with the £5000 First Prize on Sunday 3 April after impressing judges with ‘the most outstanding performance’ of the evening.
The Bromsgrove International Musicians’ Competition began in 1981 as an international platform for talented young instrumentalists and singers between the ages of 17 and 25 (28 in the case of singers). Since then many outstanding finalists have found The Bromsgrove a stepping stone to national and international recognition and success. Previous RNCM winners include cellist Mikhail Nemtsov and saxophonist Anthony Brown.
Julian Lloyd Webber commented on the night: ‘It’s impossible to overestimate its [Bromsgrove] importance to young musicians. When I started out there was a whole network of music clubs all over the country and so it was consequently much easier for young musicians to get experience. And experience is what it’s all about; that’s how you learn your craft, how you learn to put music across to audiences. It’s increasingly difficult to find that, so a competition like this is hugely important to everybody taking part.’
