Finalists all set for award showcase at Gower church

THE final of the 2024 John Fussell Award for Young Musicians will take place at St Peter’s Church, Newton, next month where you could be among the audience seeing a possible musical superstar of the future.

This special concert, on Tuesday June 11, is open to the public as a free event and gives an opportunity to listen to four exceptionally talented young classical musicians perform an evening of varied music – including pieces by Chopin, Schumann, Puccini, Britten and Jonathan Dove.

The award is funded by a trust set up in memory of John Fussell, who was a familiar figure on the music scene of South Wales during the 1970s, ’80s and ’90s. He had a strong belief that young musicians should be helped to further their studies to achieve their dreams.

Following his death, a trust fund was established to support this annual award for young musicians with links to Wales.

Each year, four finalists, currently in their final or postgraduate year at music college, compete in Swansea for a first prize of £2,500 to enable them to continue their musical training. To be eligible, all competitors must have either been born or raised in Wales, have Welsh heritage or studied in Wales.

The 2024 finalists are: ■■Tomos Boyles (piano) Tomos has performed in numerous venues, including St Martin in the Fields, the Holywell Music Room in Oxford, the Wales Millennium Centre, and the Aberystwyth Arts Centre.

■■Angelina Dorlin-barlow (mezzo soprano) Angelina is currently in her first year of the Master of Performance Vocal Course at the Royal College of Music where she is a Fishmongers’ Company Scholar and a Josephine Baker Trust Artist studying with Patricia Bardon.

■■Manon Ogwen-parry (soprano) Manon graduated from the Guildhall School of Music and Drama with a First Class Bachelor of Music. She continues to study there as a Master of Music student.

■■David Tillotson (French horn) David will graduate this summer from the Royal Northern College of Music in Manchester. Prior to studying at the RNCM he gained a First Class (Homs) Bachelor of Music degree from the Royal Welsh College of Music and Drama in Cardiff. Varied professional experience includes playing with the BBC Philharmonic Orchestra, the Halle Orchestra, the BBC National Orchestra of Wales and with Opera North.

The musicians will each perform a short recital in front of a panel. Following deliberations, the winner of the first prize of £2,500 will be announced.

The concert begins at 7.30pm.