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Forty Years Young
To mark the 40th birthday of BBC Young Musician, a look back at this hugely influential competition, focusing on the soaring careers of the three finalists from 2016, cellist Sheku Kanneh-Mason, saxophonist Jess Gillam and French horn player Ben Goldscheider.\n\nFrom its inception in 1978, BBC Young Musician has been a national institution and performers who've won or taken part amount to a roll call of contemporary British classical music. It's a showcase keenly watched by the music business and an appearance in the final often opens the door to a major career.\n\nEven by the high standards set by the competition, the most recent final in 2016 was very special indeed. The winner Sheku Kanneh-Mason is now Britain's most talked about young musician - he topped the classical charts with his first CD and played twice at the Bafta Awards. His co-finalists Jess Gillam and Ben Goldscheider are also making waves, Jess already featured as a soloist at the Proms and both tipped for stellar careers. This programme follows Sheku, Jess and Ben over the two years since the final, seeing how these young players, all are still in their late teens, are balancing the demands of a blossoming career with their studies at music school.\n\nThe pressures faced by Sheku, Jess and Ben are nothing new and alongside telling the stories of the 2016 trio, the programme also meets many former winners and finalists. These include violinist Nicola Benedetti, winner in 2004 and now an ambassador for the competition, cellist Natalie Clein who won in 1994, percussionist Adrian Spillett, victor in 1998, violinist Jennifer Pike who triumphed aged just 12 in 2002, and pianist Martin James Bartlett the winner of the 2014 final. Also interviewed is acclaimed trumpeter Alison Balsom, now a regular presenter of BBC Young Musician, who feels that while she didn't win in 1998, still sees the competition as an important springboard for her career.\n\nThe programme interviews Humphrey Burton who co-created the competition and presented it for many years, and oboist Nicholas Daniel, the second winner in 1980, who's since gone on to be one of Britain's most acclaimed classical soloists. Also interviewed is actor Richard Wilson, star of One Foot in the Grave, a long-time fan of the competition, who admits to getting slightly tearful at the sight of young musicians playing with such brilliance.\n\nWith contributions from conductor Mark Wigglesworth, music critic Jessica Duchen and principal of the Royal Birmingham Conservatoire Julian Lloyd Webber, the programme celebrates forty years of BBC Young Musician and shows that it's never been a more valued and relevant part of the UK classical music scene.
Source: BBC 4
Most recent episodes of BBC Young Musician
Bbc Young Musician
2004: Nicola Benedetti's Prizewinning Performance
Nicola Benedetti's plays Szymanowski's thrilling First Violin Concerto, the performance that, at the age of 16, won her the title of BBC Young Musician in 2004.
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2022: 6. Grand Final
BBC Young Musician 2022 reaches its climax as we bring you full coverage of the competition’s grand final from Manchester’s Bridgewater Hall.\n\nFor over 40 years, B ...
09-10-2022
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2022: 5. Keyboard Final Highlights
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06-10-2022
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2022: 4. Percussion Final Highlights
Percussion takes centre stage as Jess Gillam and Alexis Ffrench bring us highlights from this most energetic and exciting BBC Young Musician category final.\n\nCompeting are fiv ...
05-10-2022
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2022: 3. Brass Final Highlights
Coverage of BBC Young Musician continues with highlights from the brass final, filmed at Saffron Hall. Hoping to make it through to the grand final are trumpeters Phoebe Mallins ...
04-10-2022
BBC 4
Bbc Young Musician
2022: 2. Woodwind Final Highlights
Saxophonist Jess Gillam and pianist and composer Alexis Ffrench bring us highlights of the woodwind final of BBC Young Musician 2022, as five exceptional young players compete f ...
03-10-2022
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2022: 1. Strings Final Highlights
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2020: Final
The long-awaited grand final of BBC Young Musician 2020, delayed for a full year, will see three exceptional musicians compete for one of music’s most coveted titles. The ...
02-05-2021
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2020: Semi-final
The 2020 edition of BBC Young Musician remained incomplete when we left it last spring. Tonight the story resumes with extensive highlights of the semi-final, which was filmed a ...
30-04-2021
BBC 4
Most popular episodes of BBC Young Musician
Bbc Young Musician
2022: 3. Brass Final Highlights
Coverage of BBC Young Musician continues with highlights from the brass final, filmed at Saffron Hall. Hoping to make it through to the grand final are trumpeters Phoebe Mallins ...
04-10-2022
BBC 4
Bbc Young Musician
2020: Semi-final
The 2020 edition of BBC Young Musician remained incomplete when we left it last spring. Tonight the story resumes with extensive highlights of the semi-final, which was filmed a ...
30-04-2021
BBC 4
Bbc Young Musician
2018: Semi-final
The search for the next BBC Young Musician reaches its penultimate stage as the category winners from strings, percussion, woodwind, brass and keyboards compete for three places ...
11-05-2018
BBC 4
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2020: Final
The long-awaited grand final of BBC Young Musician 2020, delayed for a full year, will see three exceptional musicians compete for one of music’s most coveted titles. The ...
02-05-2021
BBC 4
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2022: 1. Strings Final Highlights
BBC Young Musician returns to BBC Four, showcasing the most outstanding young classical talent from across the UK. From Sunday to Thursday this week, we will bring you highlight ...
02-10-2022
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Bbc Young Musician
2004: Nicola Benedetti's Prizewinning Performance
Nicola Benedetti's plays Szymanowski's thrilling First Violin Concerto, the performance that, at the age of 16, won her the title of BBC Young Musician in 2004.
08-01-2023
BBC 4
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2022: 2. Woodwind Final Highlights
Saxophonist Jess Gillam and pianist and composer Alexis Ffrench bring us highlights of the woodwind final of BBC Young Musician 2022, as five exceptional young players compete f ...
03-10-2022
BBC 4
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2022: 7. Jazz Final
Five emerging stars of jazz perform in the 2022 Grand Final of BBC Young Jazz Musician.\n\nPresented this year by DJ Jamz Supernova, the contest is once again part of the EFG Lo ...
20-11-2022
BBC 4
