Young Musician of the Year, 2016

Eileen Ballard (mayor) & Florence Hand winner 2016
Eileen Ballard (mayor) & Florence Hand winner 2016

YMY 2016 – Contestants & Presentations

There was a very proud grandad in the audience last night at our Young Musician of the Year competition, Jeff Hand, a founder member of LMVC (September 1973) who watched as his granddaughter, Florence Hand, performed. Florence has been competing since 2011, going through the stages she won the Junior’s in 2011, came second in the Intermediate’s in 2014 and last night won the Senior’s section and was crowned overall winner of the YMY competition to receive the Brian Wood Trophy. The level of talent was exceptionally good and the results were:
Junior’s
Winner of the Arthur Gilbert Memorial Cup– Rhianna Wilson (Piano)
Runners up – Roni Baxter (Voice) and Evie Cooper (piano)
Intermediate’s
Winner of the Henry Brown Memorial Cup – Eleanor Mcleod (Piano)
2
nd – Libby Challans (Voice)
3
rd Annabel Garrod (Clarinet)
Senior’s
Winner, and overall winner of the Brian Wood Trophy – Florence Hand

2nd – Kira Roberts (Euphonium)
3
rd – Darcie Redford (Piano)
Runners Up – Alyssa Brock (Voice) and Rowan Webb (Voice)

Graham Burrell our MD and Janet McKee our retired accompanist have had 64 years between them with LMVC (apart from all their other experiences as music teachers), were the adjudicators. Graham did his normal superb critique of each performances like a boiled egg, soft with some less soft bits but nourishing and not sickly sweet at all. He makes a point of being positive but also instructive. It was so pleasing to see and hear so many positive and smiling contestants in it for the genuine pleasure of being talented – The X factor was also on last night, the contestants there on it for completely different reasons.

This year we expanded the qualifying area from just East Lindsey to all of historic Lincolnshire and as a result had competitors from as far north as Grimsby, south to Lincoln and east to Skegness. Malcolm Kerridge did a superb job in running the competition spending a great deal of time and effort in getting it all together. John Hards, our newly formed assistant MD, gave the introductions for all the contestants in a very professional manner, adding his very knowledgeable comments about the music. Special thanks to Louth’s mayor, Eileen Ballard, a long -time supporter of LMVC, for presenting the prizes. While the final adjudication was being carried out the superfluous LMVC sang a few songs, as John Hards put it ‘The polyfilla’.
The thing that struck me most about last night was that at no stage was it dumbed down as in ‘Young’. The proceedings I feel were carried out as though it was a major national competition. This was the 27
th year since Brian Wood, very much still standing and singing, introduced the competition, long may it continue.
YMY 2016 – Contestants & Presentation