8th November 2024

Bardi Young Musician 2025 is saxophonist Prakash Easwar, a 15-year-old academic and music scholar at Leicester Grammar School.

Prakash beat stiff competition in what the audition panel said was probably the highest standard field of candidates since the competition began in 2012. 

Prakash plays the Violin, Saxophone, and Piano. Supported by the school’s music department and inspired by his saxophone teacher, John Barker, Prakash also holds Grade 8 qualifications in both Piano and Violin and is soon completing his ARSM diploma on Saxophone. He is an active member of the school’s Big Band and First Orchestra, and also enjoys performing Bollywood, folk and jazz music. Away from school he has played violin with the Market Harborough Choral Society, has won several piano competitions at Leicester MusicFest and regularly performs in cultural celebrations. He plans to pursue music further and finds inspiration in his violinist brother, balancing his musical interests with cricket and tennis!

You can book tickets to see Prakash’s performance with the Bardi Symphony Orchestra on Saturday 25th January here.

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6th November 2023

The Bardi are delighted to announce that the winner of Bardi Young Musician 2024 is 17 year old clarinettist, Ewan Metcalfe.

An audition panel consisting of Robert Calow, Bardi Orchestra Manager, Lois Clark Principal Second Violin and Paul Hilliam, Guest Conductor, met at the end of October to hear four selected candidates to decide who would become Bardi Young Musician 2024. The standard was once again very high with a range of orchestral instruments and the panel had some lengthy deliberations to make before deciding on the winner. 

In the event they made a unanimous choice, the clear winner was clarinetist Ewan Metcalfe from Rearsby who is in the Sixth Form at Ratcliffe College. Ewan has been playing the clarinet for ten years and he currently studies with Christine Taylor. He is the third clarinetist to have won the Young Musician accolade since the competition was first held in 2012. 

The audition panel always give feedback to all the competing candidates and Ewan was told ‘The technical demands [of his chosen audition piece] are considerable and you have obviously worked hard to get on top of that. You also have a really nice tone and a good range of dynamics. Best of all, you invested lots of personality in your performance’

Concert goers are in for a real treat when Ewan performs with the Orchestra on Saturday 27^th January, at Holy Trinity Church, Leicester.  He will be playing Weber’s Clarinet Concerto No. 1 in a programme which also includes a performance of Beethoven Symphony No 2. You can book tickets for the concert here.

Ewan Metcalfe, clarinet; the audition panel

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