BBC Young Musician 2024, the long-running biennial competition that celebrates the UK’s most promising classical music performers, has named its six semi-finalists:
- English/ Swedish violinist Maya Broman Crawford-Phillips (17), currently studying at the Yehudi Menuhin School in Surrey
- Surrey-born harpist Jamaal Kashim (17), a Royal College of Music student in the Junior Department
- Violinist Shlomi Shahaf (17), born in Israel and raised in Ukraine, currently studying at the Purcell School
- Cellist Hugo Svedbert (16) from Bournemouth, a former member of the National Youth Orchestra of Great Britain
- Pianist Ryan Wang (16) from Vancouver Canada, and currently studying on a music scholarship at Eton College
- Pianist Jacky Zhang (16) from Surrey, a piano and composition student at the Royal College of Music
The six BBC Young Musician 2024 semi-finalists were chosen during two Quarter Finals featuring 12 musicians. Held at The Great Hall, Swansea University in July, the two Quarter Finals this year replaced the instrument category finals of previous years. This shakeup to the format was designed to encourage entrants from all over the UK.
When are Semi-Final and Grand Final broadcast?
Introduced by saxophonist and broadcaster Jess Gillam, the Semi Final was also held at Swansea University in July. This will be broadcast on 13 October on BBC Four and iPlayer, during which the three finalists will be announced.
The Grand Final, which took place at Bristol Beacon on 24 September, will be broadcast on Sunday 20 October on BBC Two and iPlayer. This special programme will include highlights of the three concerto performances with the BBC National Orchestra of Wales and conductor Ben Gernon. The full concert programme, meanwhile, will air on BBC Four and iPlayer on the same date.
BBC Radio 3 and BBC Sounds have featured highlights of the Quarter Finals and Semi Final on ‘Classical Live’ since 20 September. The Grand Final will be broadcast in full on Sunday 20 October.
Judging this year’s competition are: trumpeter Alison Balsom, pianist and composer Alexis Ffrench, and multi-instrumentalist and broadcaster Hannah Catherine Jones.
Who are the previous winners of BBC Young Musician?
Previous Young Musician winners and alumni include Sheku Kanneh-Mason (2016), saxophonist Jess Gillam (2016), violinist Nicola Benedetti (2004), pianist Benjamin Grosvenor (2004), cellist Laura van der Heijden (2012) and pianist Martin James Bartlett (2014).
The 2022 BBC Young Musician winner was percussionist Jordan Ashman.