Competitions 2021 - School Performer and Young Performer winners
Competitions 2021 adjudicator Beatriz Macias
On Sunday 21st February, we held our first Zoom Competitions event, showcasing the performances of our selected School Performer and Young Performer entrants, followed by a prize-giving led by our adjudicators Beatriz Macias and Ian Mullin.
The day was hosted by BFS Chair Lisa Nelsen, who talked with each player to find out more about them and why they chose their piece(s). Entrants joined us from all over the UK and beyond - including Ireland, Slovenia, Serbia, Bulgaria, Russia and Hong Kong! We were also joined by an audience of more than 150 people, who created a supportive chat and took part in the audience vote for their favourite performances.
Competitions 2021 adjudicator Ian Mullin
After a day of beautiful playing across the board, Beatriz and Ian conducted the prize-giving. ‘Thanks for all the effort you put not only into making the video but practicing some really tough pieces’, remarked Beatriz. ‘It was a joy to listen to every single one of your performances - keep up the good work. You inspired us - we saw your enthusiasm and your great love for music.’
School Performer winners
1st prize - Aksinia Khomenko (with Nocturne by Kolodub Zhanna and Etude No. 25 ‘The Russian Dance’ by Ernesto Köhler)
2nd prize - Natalie Drake (Hypnosis by Ian Clarke)
3rd prize - Ailish Steele (Sunstreams by Ian Clarke)
Highly Commended - Yam Ka Wang (Study in A, No. 16 by Jules Demersseman and Les Plaisirs, 2nd movement from Suite in A minor by Georg Telemann)
Aksinia wins a £100 Just Flutes voucher & the chance to perform at a BFS event
Natalie wins a £40 June Emerson Wind Music voucher
Ailish wins a Beaumont Music flute bag & cloth
Young Performer winners
School Performer winner Aksinia Khomenko
1st prize - Maša Majcen (Image by Eugène Bozza)
2nd prize - Aleksandra Esakova (Zigeunerweisen (Gypsy Airs) by Pablo de Sarasate)
3rd prize - Daisy Noton (Fantasia no. 2 by Telemann)
Highly Commended - Igor Mikhaylovskiy (Nocturne et Allegro Scherzando by Philippe Gaubert)
Maša wins a Pearl Flutes PFP-105 piccolo & the chance to perform at a BFS event
Aleksandra wins the Newmoon Insurance Prize - a £150 voucher for All Flutes Plus
Daisy wins a £20 Forton Music voucher and Beaumont Music flute bag & cloth
Judges’ feedback and advice
School Performer 2nd prize winner Natalie Drake
Beatriz and Ian have generously shared their thoughts on why they chose these winners and what they took into consideration when adjudicating.
‘Competitions are a wonderful way to grow and test your skills, to meet people and learn from others. Competitions are an essential and valuable part of the life of any flutist wishing to become a professional musician.
School Performer 3rd prize winner Ailish Steele
Coming from two different backgrounds, it was a surprise to see how easy the decision process was. Ian and I agreed on practically everything. Does this mean that a jury is already looking for something specific? Yes, and no. In general, all competition juries look for someone who can master the technical aspects of the instrument, but also someone who can master the musical and artistic side as well. We were looking for standard things like good intonation, great articulation, and a clear and precise technique, but also looking for someone who was able to carry their individual voice through the instrument.
The winning candidates stood out for exactly these reasons! They showed great technical prowess and also gave exhilarating and convincing performances. Each with their own particular style of playing and personality proved that music can be many things, but at the end of the day a competition is a competition.
Young Performer winner Maša Majcen
In the school performer category we awarded Highly Commended to Yam Ka Wang for a performance full of joy and contrast for someone so young. In 3rd place we were treated to a musical performance of Ian Clarke's 'Sunstreams' played by Ailish Steele. Ailish had a lovely consistent sonority throughout the 3 octaves of the flute and a good sense of awareness and freedom in her body posture and flute playing stance. In second place we heard an evocative rendition by Natalie Drake of another one of Ian Clarke's pieces 'Hypnosis'. There was a good sense of control of technical passages without losing the sense of improvisation needed in this repertoire. Finally the 1st prize was awarded to Aksinia Khomenko. She performed a Kohler study with excellent evenness of technique, definition of articulation and a rich tone throughout the entire range of the flute. Her other choice of piece, a Nocturne by Kolodub Zhanna, was played with simplicity and a beautiful singing tone also performed from memory.
Young Performer 2nd prize winner Aleksandra Esakova
The standard of playing in both these categories was really inspiring to behold. It is a credit to the talented young musicians and their teachers and parents for cultivating and supporting this talent also. Choice of repertoire in a competition of this nature where there is free reign is crucial.
Young Performer 3rd prize winner Daisy Noton
The 4 finalists in the Young Performer competition chose pieces that could highlight a contrast of tempo, a broad dynamic range and could show a versatility of technique and musical flair. We were treated to a stylish, sophisticated and lovely musical journey with Daisy Noton's performance of Telemann Fantasia No.2. Igor Mikhaylovskiy delighted us with a beautifully controlled and sonorous rendition of Gaubert's Nocturne et Allegro Scherzando. Aleksandra Esakova bowled us over with a hugely exciting performance of Pablo de Sarasate's 'Zigeuenerweisen' filled with energy and joie de vivre, and finally the winner of the category Maša Majcen performed a very polished and impressive rendition of Bozza's Image from memory with a lovely sense of space and timing and excellent command of the instrument both in technical prowess and control of intonation.’
Audience vote winners
We also held an audience vote, with the following winners:
School Performer
1st - Manni Geng
2nd - Emme Hensel
3rd - Aksinia Khomenko
Young Performer
1st - Aleksandra Esakova
2nd - Alanagh Bohan
3rd - Georgia Campbell
Congratulations to all our winners, and well done to everyone who entered - there were so many wonderful performances. Thank you to Beatriz Macias and Ian Mullin for adjudicating, our sponsors for making the day possible, and everyone who watched, encouraged the performers and wrote such lovely comments.
