Guildhall musicians and alumni through to Gold Medal final in Royal Over-Seas League Annual Music Competition

Congratulations to the many Guildhall musicians and alumni who have taken part in the Royal Over-Seas League (ROSL) Annual Music Competition Section Finals in recent weeks, with many winning individual and section final prizes.

The Strings and Piano Ensemble Section Prize was won by 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) following their 20-minute programme of Arensky and Helen Grime. Also competing in the section final were the Mēla Guitar Quartet, featuring Jiva Housden (Guitar 2014) and George Tarlton (Guitar 2015), and Halcyon Quartet, featuring violinist Millie Ashton (BMus Violin).

Bass William Thomas (Advanced Certificate Opera Studies) was named the winner in the Singers’ Prize following his 20-minute programme of Schubert, Wolf, Poulenc, Harrison and Rossini. He will go on to compete in the competition's Gold Medal final. Also among the finalists were baritone Benson Wilson (Advanced Certificate Opera Studies) and mezzo-soprano Emily Kyte (Artist Diploma Vocal Studies).

Trombonist Kris Garfitt (Trombone 2015), now performing regular concerts as part of the German Radio Philharmonic Orchestra, was the winner of the Section Final for Solo Wind and Brass as well as the Philip Jones Memorial Prize for an Outstanding Brass Player. Kris will also go on to compete in the competition's Gold Medal Final.

Pianist Kathy Chow (Artist Diploma Piano) and Junior Guildhall piano professor for the String Training Programme at Felsted Riyad Nicolas were finalists in the Keyboard Section Prize. Recorder quartet Palisander, featuring Guildhall alumni Caoimhe de Paor (Recorders 2013), Lydia Gosnell (Recorders 2014) and Miriam Monaghan (Recorders 2013), were among the finalists for the Mixed Ensemble Section Prize.

Strings department fellows Juliette Roos (Fellow, Violin) and Alexander McFarlane (Fellow, Viola) were among the four finalists competing in the Strings Prize, with Juliette Roos awarded the Len Lickorish Memorial Prize for a String Player of Promise and Alexander McFarlane awarded the ROSL Golden Jubilee Trust Prize for a String Player of Promise.

Baritone Benson Wilson and pianist Kathy Chow also competed for the Overseas Award, in which the most outstanding overseas musicians from the previous weeks' Section Finals were invited back to compete for the Overseas Award. Both walked away with awards, as Kathy Chow won the Phillip Crawshaw Memorial Prize for an Outstanding Musician from Overseas and Benson Wilson won the Tait Memorial Scholarship for an Outstanding New Zealand Musician and the Lorna Viol Memorial Prize and ROSL Trophy for the most Outstanding Musician from Overseas.

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.

The ROSL Gold Medal Final will take place at the Southbank Centre on 30 May 2019. Previous winners include Jacqueline du Pré (cello), Melvyn Tan (harpsichord), Piers Lane (piano), Juliette Bausor (flute) and Jonathan Lemalu (bass).