Bushey pupils make BBC Young Musician finals

Three pupils from the Purcell School in Bushey have reached the category finals of BBC Young Musician, the UK’s leading contest for young classical musicians. After an extensive audition process, judges have announced five finalists for each of its categories – Strings, Keyboard, Woodwind, Brass and Percussion.  More than 450 entries were received for the contest from musicians aged between eight and 18 years old. The three Purcell pupils are 17-year-old Juliana Myslov who studies harp, 17-year-old Martin Bartlett who plays piano and 14-year-old trombonist Isobel Daws. Purcell alumnus and flautist, Daniel Shao, 18, who took up a place at Oxford in September, also reached the category finals of the woodwind stage. Kerry Clark, Competition Manager, said: “The category finalists show a remarkable level and breadth of talent. We’re looking forward to continuing to work with these outstanding young musicians over the coming months and watching their progress through to the 2014 final.” The category finals and semi-final follows on March 9, before the BBC Young Musician Final on May 18 at Usher Hall in Edinburgh.  BBC Young Musician will be broadcast extensively on BBC Four and BBC Radio 3. Previous Purcell School winners of this prestigious competition are oboist Nicholas Daniel and pianist Lara Melda.