Sevenoaks Young Musician of the Year

Sevenoaks Young Musician of the Year

The 2027 Sevenoaks Young Musician of the Year Competition will be held at a new location, The Pamoja Hall, Sevenoaks School, Sevenoaks on 28 February 2027. It is open to instrumentalists between the ages of 12 and 21 years, who are grade 8 standard and above. Each competitor is to present a recital of contrasting pieces lasting a minimum of ten minutes but no longer than 15 minutes. Two adjudicators, eminent in their own musical field, will provide a written assessment of each performance, and at the end of the Competition Day will give a brief adjudication of each competitor and announce the prize winners. The adjudicators for the 2027 Competition are Dr. Oliver Gledhill and Kathyrn Ashwell.


The Sevenoaks Three Arts Festival is grateful for the for continuing support from Black Cat Music & Acoustics and Finchcocks Charity Ltd. Prizes have been increased for the 2027 Competition and are as follows: first prize –The 2027 Sevenoaks Young Musician of the Year receives a cash prize of £1,200; second prize – The Sevenoaks School Prize of £600 cash; and third prize –Richard Burnett Memorial Prize of £300 cash. In addition, the Sevenoaks Music Club will present prizes of £100 each to the second and third prize winners and at least one pianist will be chosen to visit the historic instruments from the Richard Burnett Collection, receive a lesson on the instruments and learn about the collection.  

As part of a longstanding tradition, the Lydian Orchestra offers the winner a concerto opportunity with the orchestra at one of its concerts. At that event, Sevenoaks District Arts Council presents the winner of The Young Musician of the Year Competition with a silver June Clements Memorial Medal. This medal is in recognition of June’s outstanding contribution to the musical education and development of the young people of Sevenoaks. The competition, organised by Sevenoaks Three Arts Festival, was begun in 1995 by June Clements, a long-standing member of the Festival’s Executive Committee. Although June died in November 1996, the Sevenoaks Young Musician of the Year Competition remains a thriving memorial.


Entries are limited to 15 and will be accepted on a ‘first come, first served’ basis. The closing date is  24 January 2027. 

Click here for an Application Form.


For further details contact the Competition Secretary, Peter Harlow, email: peter.harlow@ymail.com. 

Competition Report 2026

SUNDAY 22 MARCH 2026

The Sevenoaks Young Musician of the Year Competition took place at The Ship Theatre, Walthamstow Hall Senior School on Sunday 22nd March. 


Fourteen young instrumentalists attended for this all day event, ranging in age from 13 to 20, giving performances which included the piano, cello, violin, clarinet and flute. Each presented a 15-minute recital in front of an audience and two professional adjudicators, Mr Roy Robinson and Ms Eva Maria Doroszkowska.

The title of Sevenoaks Young Musician of the Year 2026 and First Prize was awarded to 16-year-old Inés Maro Burgos Babakhanian, a violinist, who has been a student at the Yehudi Menuhin School since 2020. 


For her winning recital, Inés Maro played the Adagio from Bach’s Solo Violin Sonata No.1 in G minor and Saint-Saens’ Introduction and Rondo Capriccioso. 


Inés Maro was awarded her Prize by Sevenoaks Mayor, Cllr Tony Clayton.

Second prize, the Sevenoaks School Prize, was awarded to 14-year-old violinist Giovanni Viola, who played works by Bach, Saint-Saens and Paganini. 


Giovanni is shown receiving his prize from Mr Tom Danby of Sevenoaks School.

Third prize, the Richard Burnett Memorial Prize, was awarded to cellist Kiki Skinner, age 16, who played works by Prokofiev, Nadia Boulanger and Gaspar Cassádo. 


Kiki is shown receiving her prize from Mayoress Gill Clayton.

The pianist chosen by the Adjudicators to visit the historic instruments from the Richard Burnett Collection and to receive a lesson on the instruments was Rinchen Posel, age 16. 


Rinchen played works by Rodion Shchedrin, Rachmaninoff and Debussy.


The annual Sevenoaks Young Musician Competition, an important prestige event for Sevenoaks, has become a prominent part of the musical life of the town. 


We are extremely grateful to our sponsors Sevenoaks School, Black Cat Music & Acoustics, Finchcocks Charity Limited; and to our other sponsors Sevenoaks Town Council, Sevenoaks District Arts Council, Sevenoaks Music Club and the Lydian Orchestra.