The competition was paused on the early death of my competition colleague and great friend, the conductor and composer, Kevin Hill MBE - one of the finest musicians that I have ever had the privilege of knowing: He has also led the World Orchestra for Peace at the requests of Valery Gergiev and Donald Runnicles, and he has been leader of the John Wilson Orchestra since its inception. The winning musicians have progressed to prestigious positions: Andrew Haveron became the concertmaster of the BBC Symphony Orchestra, and joint concert master of the Philharmonia. The adjudicators were all notable in their fields and included Stephen Bryant, the leader of the BBC Symphony Orchestra.
I co-founded and ran a very successful international classical soloist competition in Suffolk for 23 years which attracted close to 200 entrants each year from over 30 countries - a truly diverse enterprise - music can be one of those things that knows no boundaries. I’ve had the pleasure of playing trombone in ensembles and orchestras since my teenage years and through a love and appreciation of music and the arts, gained a degree in Music, English and Philosophy at Birkbeck College as a mature student. I have a special affinity for classical music. I have been actively involved in the arts all my life. The Swinsian will use a small part of the income to provide a small, annual bursary to one financially-challenged, but outstanding student at each of the major music colleges – Royal College of Music, Royal Academy of Music, Guildhall School of Music & Drama, and Trinity Laban.įOUNDER OF THE SWINSIAN SOLOIST COMPETITION: STEPHEN COTTAGE The Swinsian has the potential to be televised/broadcast on national radio besides attracting massive interest among media and fellow musicians and patronsĪs well as cash prizes, it is envisaged that, like the Donatella Flick competition for conductors, The Swinsian Soloist Competition will liaise with a prestigious orchestra, or ensemble to offer the winner an exciting soloist or recital booking as part of the prize. The competition will be held over one day in a suitable London venue. The competition event will be open to the public along with complimentary reward tickets for the various crowdfunding supporters.
The difference is this inclusive competition, judged by three pre-eminent musicians, will select from the competition entries around a dozen top-class, aspiring young brass, woodwind, strings, piano, singing, or percussion musicians aged 30 or under to compete on the day of the competition.Īll competitors will be either professional musicians, or, studying to become professional musicians at a recognized music college in the UK, or internationally. It will be a London-based competition and set to become truly international in its reach, rising to become one of the most prestigious competitions - much in the way that the Donatella Flick competition has become for young conductors. Above all, this is a day of making great music and having fun and enjoyment of performance - for the competitors, the adjudicators, and the audience!
What makes this thrillingly different, challenging, and about musicianship above all, is that the shortlisted dozen candidates will be a mix of any of the instrumental categories of strings, brass, woodwind, piano, voice, and percussion. The first new international classical soloist music competition for more than 30 years for professional musicians and music students aged 30 or under. THE INAUGURAL SWINSIAN SOLOIST COMPETITION LONDON, AUTUMN 2023 DO YOU WANT TO HELP FIND AND PROMOTE THE NEXT VIRTUOSO?