Young musicians to the fore: Bampton's singing competition and Liverpool's emerging musician fellowships

Royal Liverpool Philharmonic Orchestra Emerging Musicians Fellowship
Danny Cleave, Meggie Murphy, Ewan Miller, Méline Le Calvez

Bampton Classical Opera has announced that entries are now open for its 2023 Young Singers' Competition, whilst Liverpool Philharmonic has announced the appointment of four musicians selected for the second annual Royal Liverpool Philharmonic Orchestra Emerging Musicians Fellowship. 

Applications are now open for Bampton Classical Opera’s sixth biennial Young Singers' Competition, launched in 2013 to celebrate the company’s 20th birthday.  Open to young professional singers aged 21-32 and their accompanists,  previous winners are mezzo-soprano Anna Starushkevych (2013), soprano Galina Averina (2015), mezzo-soprano Emma Stannard (2017), soprano Lucy Anderson (2019), and soprano Cassandra Wright (2021).  In 2017 an Accompanists' Prize was introduced, and the first winner was Keval Shah. 

After a closed first round, the public final take places in the Leonard Wolfson Auditorium, Wolfson College, Linton Road, Oxford OX2 6UD, on 25 November 2023. Judges for the competition include two internationally renowned British singers: tenor Bonaventura Bottone and mezzo-soprano Jean Rigby.

Applications entry deadline is Thursday 31st August 2023, full details from Bampton Classical Opera's website.

The Royal Liverpool Philharmonic Orchestra's Emerging Musicians Fellowship offers early-career musicians a paid, immersive professional orchestral experience, both on and off the stage over the course of a year.  The Fellowship has no upper age limit and in 2023/24 over 270 musicians applied for the scheme. The four musicians selected are:

• Danny Cleave (double bass) - a native of Devon who has just finished his Masters degree at the Royal College of Music
• Meggie Murphy (trombone) - who studied at the Royal College of Music and was in the National Youth Orchestra 
• Ewan Millar (oboe) - from Yorkshire, currently enrolled in a Masters degree at the Royal Academy of Music and who won the woodwind final of BBC Young Musician
• Méline Le Calvez (clarinet) - born in Burgundy, France will finish her studies at the Royal Academy of Music this Summer

Sameeta Gahir, Principal Piccolo, Royal Liverpool Philharmonic Orchestra and Lead Musician for the Emerging Musicians Fellowship, said, "In light of the successful launch of the Emerging Musicians Fellowship last year, this year we were overwhelmed by the sheer number of exceptional applications we received from talented musicians nationwide. The level of skill and dedication displayed by all the applicants was truly remarkable, and we extend our heartfelt gratitude to each and every one of them for their commitment and effort in presenting themselves. It is with great excitement that we announce the newest Fellowship Musicians. Their exceptional musical abilities and unique talents have stood out among the many outstanding candidates, and we are delighted to have them on board for this upcoming season."

Full details from the Royal Liverpool Philharmonic's website.