Watford students win Royal Opera House competition...

(16th March 2010)

Two students from The Purcell School, have won an online competition run by the Royal Opera House (ROH) to compose an original fanfare. Song Eun Choi and Josh Hagley’s compositions will be played in the ROH ‘front of house’ areas from May 2010, replacing the traditional hand rung bell that signals the time for audiences to take their seats in the auditorium before performances.

The online competition has been designed to encourage young people to experiment creatively with music and has been run in partnership with the online educational resource NUMU.

12 year old Song Eun and 14 year old Josh Hagley created their own original fanfares of less than 30 seconds, and submitted it online. It can be heard at www.roh.org.uk/fanfare

Song Eun and Josh join nine other finalists who beat off competition from over 250 entries from across the UK when they were selected by a prestigious judging panel of Royal Opera House professionals, including Antonio Pappano, Music Director of The Royal Opera, Barry Wordsworth, Music Director of The Royal Ballet, Orlando Gough, Associate Composer of the Royal Opera House and composers Joby Talbot and Duncan Chapman.

Along with the other finalists, Song Eun and Josh will take part in orchestration workshops with composer Duncan Chapman this month and attend the recording of their fanfares by the Orchestra of the Royal Opera House in April. Song Eun, Josh and their fellow young composers will be credited in the performance programmes and invited to attend a performance at the Royal Opera House to hear the premiere of their fanfares as they are broadcast to a Royal Opera House audience for the first time.

Antonio Pappano, Music Director of The Royal Opera, has championed the Fanfare competition and says “I think it is a terrific project. I believe that it’s really important for young people to learn how to create music. I’m excited to hear the winning fanfares being played to real audiences.”

The 10 finalists are:

• Song Eun Choi, age 12, The Purcell School, Hertfordshire

• Josh Hagley, age 14, The Purcell School, Hertfordshire

• Michael Ranashinge, age 12, Stoke Newington School, London

• Lucy-Rose Graham, age 14, Oakham School, Leicestershire

• Adam Deans, age 12, Burgoyne Middle School, Bedfordshire

• Ainanshe Ali, age 12, Burgoyne Middle School, Bedfordshire

• Group entry: India James, age 13, Lucy Farestvedt, age 13, Burgoyne Middle School, Bedfordshire

• Group entry: Rebecca Seaton, age 12, Connor Smither, age 13, Billy Fisher, age 14, Alexander Leach, age 13, Lewis Hobbs, age 13, Louis Juster, age 12, Glenthorne High School, Surrey

• Jack Somerset Scott, age 13, Oasis Academy, Surrey

• Max Brown, age 14, St Edwards School, Cheltenham

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