Top teen musicians named

Top teen musicians named

5 April 2017

COMBER Rotary Club has announced the winners of their Northern Ireland Young Musician of the Year competition.

The highly regarded competition, now in its 25th year, was attended by the District Governor of Rotary in Ireland Gerry Kierans and the consuls general of China, the USA and Canada. The BBC’s Noel Thompson was compere. 

Samuel Kane (17) from Portadown College, was the overall winner at the finals in Strathearn School, Belfast on April 1st, wowing the judges with his performance of the second movement of the Sibelius violin concerto in D minor.

Runner-up was cellist Gary Hunt (17) from Campbell College and third prize went to Rebecca Doherty (17) on recorder from Lumen Christi College in Derry.

Winner of the prize for the best under-16 finalist was 12-year-old pianist Christopher McDonald from St Colman’s College in Newry, whose performance of pieces by Beethoven and Chopin “showed a maturity well beyond his years.”

Other finalists receiving certificates were Bethany McClenaghan (17) on violin, Lucia Corrigan (14) on piano, Daniel Sharpe (14) on tenor horn, Erin Whitley (12) on concertina, Megan Barnes (18) on violin, Louise Bell (14) on cornet, Lucian McCauley (18) on flute, Georgia Begley (17) on violin and Conall McHugh (17) on French horn.

Aside from their Northern Ireland Young Musician competition, Comber Rotary recently held a joint event with the Samaritans. Psychiatrist and neurobiologist Dr Fergus Heffernan gave a stimulating talk on the tensions in family relationships. Speakers at club meetings during March included Tracy and Martin Hamilton of Mash Direct and Sir Robin Masefield, former director general of the Northern Ireland prison service.

To find out more about joining the Rotary Club of Comber, visit www.comberrotary.org, email comberrotary@gmail.com or contact 07845 285157.