³ÉÈË¿ìÊÖ producers Humphrey Burton and Walter Todds conceived the Young Musician of the Year competition as a response to the lack of home-grown finalists in the Leeds Piano Competition of 1975. More than 30 years later, the competition has become a national institution.
The first programme was broadcast in 1978 and since then thousands of young people from all over Great Britain have entered the competition. There is no lower age limit for entering, but competitors must have achieved a Grade 8 in their instrument and be under 18 when they apply.
Each competitor must impress a panel of judges in regional heats, before going head to head with other players in the same category. The winners in each of the instrument categories perform in the grand final with a full symphony orchestra - for many musicians the first opportunity they have had to do so.
In 1994 the percussion section was introduced to the competition for the first time, meaning that all parts of the orchestra were now represented. Although the decision to bring in a percussion category was seen at the time to be controversial, it has become an established part of the competition, with Adrian Spillett winning the overall title in 1998.
Through the years the competition has featured some of Britain's best-loved classical performers, introducing young musicians to the world stage and creating massive media attention. Emma Johnson, Natalie Clein and Nicola Benedetti are all previous winners who have gone on to have extremely successful pe,rforming and recording careers.
The list of top names that entered but didn't take the top prize is testament to the outstanding quality of this competition: Paul Watkins, Tasmin Little, Thomas Ades, Michael Collins, Stephen Hough... the list goes on. Eleven-year-old Benjamin Grosvenor's astonishing performance in the 2004 grand final earned him a four-year development deal with EMI records.
In 2008 ³ÉÈË¿ìÊÖ Young Musician of the Year celebrates its 30th birthday with two concerts in the Wales Millennium Centre. The Category Finalists took to the stage with the ³ÉÈË¿ìÊÖ National Orchestra of Wales on 10 and 11 May in a bid to win the coveted title and join a very select musical club.
