Alumnus Kris Garfitt wins ROSL Gold Medal

Congratulations to alumnus Kris Garfitt (Trombone 2015) who has won this year’s Royal Over-Seas League (ROSL) Annual Music Competition Gold Medal.

Winners from four of the competition’s section finals performed at the Gold Medal Final at the Southbank Centre on 30 May. Garfitt’s winning performance included works by Ropartz and Weber performed alongside pianist Seri Dan and Folke Rabe's Basta for Solo Trombone.

Bass William Thomas (Advanced Certificate Opera Studies) also performed in the final, accompanied by Guildhall pianist Michael Pandya (Artist Diploma Piano Accompaniment), with violinist Roberto Ruisi and pianist Joseph Havlat the other finalists this year.

The final also saw performances from the competition’s chamber music section final winners, including the Mithras Trio, made up of violinist Ionel Manciu (Artist Diploma Violin), cellist Leo Popplewell (Guildhall Artist Masters Cello) and pianist Dominic Degavino (Guildhall Artist Masters Piano).

Jonathan Vaughan, Vice-Principal and Director of Music, said: “Many congratulations to Kris on a fabulous performance to win the ROSL Gold Medal last night. Kris continues a long legacy of highly successful Guildhall trombonists – he is a product of our wonderful brass teachers here at Guildhall and a credit to the School.”

The ROSL Annual Music Competition grew out of a series of concerts inaugurated at Over-Seas House London in 1947 under the banner ‘Festival of Commonwealth Youth’. The Festival became competitive in 1952, with a first prize of £10. Over the past 60 years the competition has grown in scope and prestige and now awards in excess of £80,000 for solo performers, accompanists and chamber ensembles.

See our news story rounding up all the Guildhall section final winners and competitors in this year’s ROSL Annual Music Competition.