I would like to champion the BBC Young Musician of the Year this week. It is 38 years since this platform for young musical talent appeared on our tv screens. The brainchild of BBC producers Humphrey Burton, Walter Todds and Roy Tipping. It is a phenomenal celebration of extraordinary talent and has produced superstar musicians. The cellist Sheku Kanneh- Mason won the 2016 Grand Final and subsequently captivated worldwide audiences as soloist at the wedding of the Duke and Duchess of Sussex. Jess Gilliam on saxophone was a finalist that year and she has also embraced a glittering career, combining music journalism and performing at the highest level.
The finalists in all categories in 2020 are performing in a lockdown setting at the Royal Welsh College of Music and Drama, and the subsequent Semi Final and Grand Final are both postponed, but scheduled for an Autumn broadcast. But we can certainly enjoy the talent on display leading to the exhilarating final rounds themselves.
Click here to explore all of the finalists on the BBC website.
