The penultimate evening of Section Finals for this year's Annual Music Competition took place last night, with four mixed ensembles taking to the stage to perform a hugely varied programme. The most eclectic of the sections, music was stretched to its limits with these wonderfully creative ensembles.
In the end, the victors were The Hermes Experiment, made up of Héloïse Werner soprano, Marianne Schofield double bass, Anne Denholm harp, and Oliver Pashley clarinet, who took home the £10,000 prize and will now go on to perform at the Gold Medal Final on 30 May at the Queen Elizabeth Hall. Their 20-minute programme of Gareth Wood, Freya Waley-Cohen, Stevie Wishart, and Meredith Monk wowed the audience and judging panel.
Next to perform, @TheHExperiment play a contemporary programme showcasing the usual combination of soprano, double bass, harp and clarinet. pic.twitter.com/xdz3ZanYUN
— ROSL (@rosl1910) March 19, 2019
Their competition for the evening came from the hugely impressive Improviso, a baroque quartet featuring recorder, violin, cello and theorbo; Palisander, a recorder quartet; and the Meraki Duo, a flute-guitar pairing.
With The Hermes Experiment winning this section, we know have our full line-up for the Gold Medal Final, which takes place at the Queen Elizabeth Hall on the Southbank on 30 May.
Competing for the Gold Medal and £15,000 first prize, our four soloists Kris Garfitt trombone, William Thomas bass, Roberto Ruisi violin, and Joseph Havlat piano will look to join the illustrious list of former winners stretching back some 67 years.
The two ensemble section winners, the Mithras Trio and The Hermes Experiment, will also return to perform for the audience having already secured their £10,000 prize each.
Tickets on now on sale directly from the Southbank Centre. Book here.
The clubhouse-based element of this year's AMC isn't quite over though, we have the prestigious Overseas Award to hand out on thursdaynight, in which the most talented musicians from around the Commonwealth come together to compete for a beautifully hand-crafted sculpture from a Royal College of Art, student. See some examples of the sculptures handed out in previous years here, and book your tickets for Thursday evening here.
