Gloucestershire Young Musician of the Year 2025
A competition celebrating top level young musicians in Gloucestershire.
About Gloucestershire Young Musician of the Year 2025
The 2026 Gloucestershire Young Musician Competition is open to entrants aged under 22 years on 1 March 2026.
Applicants may play piano, any string (including harp and guitar), woodwind or brass instrument or orchestral percussion.
First Round
Applicants will be invited to give a 12-minute recital before an adjudicator on Sunday (date to be finalised) October 2025 at Gloucestershire Academy of Music, Barbican House, Gloucester GL1 2JF. As a result of this stage a maximum of six finalists (or fewer, at the adjudicator’s discretion) will be selected to proceed to the final.
Competition Final
The selected finalists will each give a 15-minute recital before an audience and a panel of adjudicators, on Sunday January 18th at Cheltenham Town Hall between 2pm - 5pm.
At the Final, the following prizes will be awarded:
1st Prize
The Hewitt Jones Award
A cheque for £500
Two performances:
i) a concerto performance with Gloucestershire Symphony Orchestra at the Iconic Cheltenham Music Festival
ii) a concerto performance with Gloucestershire Youth Orchestra
Audience Prize
A cheque for £200 awarded by the Carducci Quartet
A recital at the Carducci Festival at Highnam in May 2026
The winner of this prize is selected via audience vote on the evening of the final.
All Other Finalists (including the winner of the Audience Prize)
A cheque for £50
Applications for Gloucestershire Young Musician of the Year will open later this month.
Check back here later this month for details on how to enter. Alternatively, keep an eye on our socials where we will be announcing the competition.
