Please join with us in congratulating the winners for the first stage of the competition with amazing performances from:    

1st James y10 

 2nd Zadie y13 

 3rd Jonah y12   

Each received a generous award from the Rotary to go towards their continuing music studies.   

Congratulations to all 20 musicians who took part and performed to competition standard.   

The Rotary Young Musicians Competition is organised by Rotary International in Great Britain and Ireland. There are four stages to the competition, each designed to support and encourage the development of musical talent. The competition is open to young people of secondary age and as well as offering the experience of performing on stage and showcase musical talent is an opportunity to receive impartial feedback and assessment of their performance by experienced adjudicators.   

We were fortunate to have such an illustrious panel of judges to visit Highcliffe School for this first stage of the competition who were very complimentary of all our musicians.   

Fiona Pritchard (lead judge) 

Fiona graduated from The Guildhall School of Music and Drama in French horn, singing and piano. She enjoyed a freelance career playing with the Scottish Opera Orchestra, Scottish Chamber Orchestra and Royal Scottish National Orchestra and has over 30 years of experience teaching brass and keyboard. Fiona is an accomplished composer, songwriter and arranger and her brass music is published by Warwick for the Associated Board syllabus.   

Jenny Oulton 

Jen is a flautist with over 40 years of teaching experience. She directs several flute choirs and performs regularly with Flautissimo, The Southampton Flute Orchestra and she arranges and composes pieces for this group. Jen is also a member of Romsey Chamber Orchestra.   

Muriel Brown 

Muriel studied music at Cambridge University and graduated with a BMus and MA in music, specializing  in piano and harpsichord.  She took up a music teaching post in Aberdeen, where one of her pupils was Annie Lennox. Muriel explained she had a great voice but never thought she would become a famous pop star!   

Nickie Dixon 

Nickie graduated from Guildhall School of Music and Drama with a distinction in Double Bass and Piano. A member of the Bournemouth Symphony Orchestra for 20 years, Nickie now enjoys working as a freelance player for the London Orchestras and is training to become an organist.   

Denis Wick 

Denis is a self-taught musician, he taught himself to play trombone at the age of 10 and became Principle of Trombone at London Symphony Orchestra, a position he held for 31 years. He owns a very successful business “ Denis Wick Products” selling mouth pieces, Mutes & Accessories for instruments worldwide and in 2013, was invited to Buckingham Palace where he was gifted The Queen's Award for Enterprise in International Trade.  Denis retired in 1989 and was awarded International Trombone Association's annual award he then served as their president for 2 years.