Edinburgh Competition Festival Association

Edinburgh Competition Festival Association Our annual Festival provides an opportunity for amateur musicians of all ages to perform

We run an annual festival which provides an opportunity for amateur musicians of all ages to perform their pieces in a friendly environment and, along with other performers of a similar ability, receive constructive feedback and advice from a specialist adjudicator. Our programme of competitive and non-competitive classes allows performers of all abilities to take part. There are classes in a wide

range of instruments, or combinations of instruments, as well as for singers. Full details are contained in our annual Syllabus, accessible on our website.

St Giles at Six | 19 April 2026Presented by Edinburgh Music Competition FestivalWhat a wonderful end to this year’s fest...
19/04/2026

St Giles at Six | 19 April 2026
Presented by Edinburgh Music Competition Festival
What a wonderful end to this year’s festival! Huge congratulations to all the performers.

🎢 St Giles’ at Six: Edinburgh Festival Competition Winners 🎢Join us tomorrow, Sunday 19 April at 6:00 PM, for the conclu...
18/04/2026

🎢 St Giles’ at Six: Edinburgh Festival Competition Winners 🎢

Join us tomorrow, Sunday 19 April at 6:00 PM, for the concluding event of the 2026 Edinburgh Music Competition Festival: a special recital given by some of the outstanding young musicians who participated in March.

The recitalists are:
🎡 MΓ©abh Downey – singing music by Britten and Hughes
πŸͺ‰ Shionka Kamikaji-Inkster (harp) – music by Nino Rota and Park Stickney
πŸͺˆ Jemma Grosse (flute) – music by Poulenc
🎻 Grace Cooper (violin) – music by Beethoven
🎹 Ki Ming Jia (piano) – music by Bach and FazΔ±l Say

πŸ“ Location: St Giles’ Cathedral, High St, Edinburgh
🎟️ Cost: Free entry, with an optional retiring donation

⚠️ Please note: Eventbrite may show this concert as sold out, but there is still space available β€” everyone is very welcome to come along!

πŸšͺ The Cathedral will be locked from 5:00–5:30 PM, so please don’t arrive too early to avoid waiting outside in the wind.

We look forward to welcoming you tomorrow at St Giles’ Cathedral!

2026 FestivalSt Giles' at Six - Sunday April 19 at 6pm The concluding event of the 2026 Festival is the recital given by...
13/04/2026

2026 Festival
St Giles' at Six - Sunday April 19 at 6pm

The concluding event of the 2026 Festival is the recital given by some of the outstanding young musicians who participated in this year's Festival.
Cost: Free entry, with an optional retiring donation.
Location: St Giles' Cathedral, High St, Edinburgh.
​
The recitalists are:
​MΓ©abh Downey singing music by Britten and Hughes
Shionka Kamikaji-Inkster (harp) playing music by Nino Rota and Park Stickney
Jemma Grosse (flute) playing music by Poulenc
Grace Cooper (violin) playing music by Beethoven
Ki Ming Jia (piano) playing music by Bach and Fazil Say

✨ Concerto Class Final – The Audrey Innes Trophy ✨What a wonderful evening of music at our Concerto Class Final Highligh...
15/03/2026

✨ Concerto Class Final – The Audrey Innes Trophy ✨

What a wonderful evening of music at our Concerto Class Final Highlight Concert! 🎢

Congratulations to our joint winners of the Audrey Innes Trophy:
πŸ† Rhea Fitzgerald (piano)
πŸ† Paul Oggier (cello)

Thank you to all the fantastic performers who took part in the concert β€” the level of musicianship, dedication and artistry on stage was truly inspiring. πŸ‘ A big thank you to our adjudicators Jena Pang and Hilary Sturt for their thoughtful feedback and support. It was also an honour to have Audrey Innes and the Lord Provost present for the prize giving.

πŸ“Έ Here’s a glimpse from this wonderful evening at Edinburgh Music Competition Festival

πŸ₯πŸŽΈ Day 10 Percussion & Guitar Classes 🎸πŸ₯Well done to all of today’s performers for their energy, musicianship, and fanta...
14/03/2026

πŸ₯πŸŽΈ Day 10 Percussion & Guitar Classes 🎸πŸ₯

Well done to all of today’s performers for their energy, musicianship, and fantastic performances! Congratulations to our winners and highly commended performers:

Drum Kit Solo: Level 1
πŸ† Winner: Juno Landrock

Drum Kit Solo: Level 2
πŸ† Winner: Henry Reeve

Drum Kit Solo: Level 3
πŸ† Winner: Rory Hellen
πŸŽ–οΈ HC: Arthur Hawkins

Drum Kit Solo: Level 4
πŸ† Winner: Yannic Deeken
πŸŽ–οΈ HC: Sophie Davidson, Jarne Bol

Guitar Solo: Level 1
πŸ† Winner: Emi Daunt

Guitar Solo: Level 2
πŸ† Winner: Oliver Beesley

Guitar Solo: Level 3
πŸ† Winner: Praise Akinunie
πŸŽ–οΈ HC: Theo Wake & Clarisse Garcia-Sancho Heeney

Guitar Solo: Level 4
πŸ† Winner: Zion Ziyuan Shi
πŸŽ–οΈ HC: Sean Flynn

Guitar Ensembles: Open – The Rita Quinney Medal
πŸ† Winner: James Gillespie’s HS Senior Guitar Ensemble

Clarsach Solo: Level 1
πŸ† Winner: Solomina Spodin

Clarsach Solo: Level 2
πŸ† Winner: Reilly McLoughlin

Clarsach Solo: Level 3
πŸ† Winner: Annika Mack

Clarsach Solo: Level 4
πŸ† Winner: Anna Dorward

Any Harp or Clarsach Solo
The Harp Medal
πŸ† Winner: Hazel Brandt

Any Harp, Lute, Mandolin or Guitar Solo: 15 Minute Recital (Open)
The Norman Quinney Medal
πŸ† Winner: Shionka Kamikaji-Inkster

Day 9 Competitive Wind ClassesAnother fantastic day of music-making! Congratulations to all of our performers for their ...
12/03/2026

Day 9 Competitive Wind Classes

Another fantastic day of music-making! Congratulations to all of our performers for their wonderful performances. Here are the results:

Recorder Solo: Level 1
πŸ† Joint Winners: Mabel McCowen & Noah Jenkins

Recorder Solo: Level 2 – The Liz Scott Medal
πŸ† Winner: BrΓ’n Jenkins

Wind Solo: Level 1
πŸ† Joint Winners: Eric Liu & Zygmunt Cydzik

Wind Solo: Level 2
πŸ† Winner: Joanne Liu
πŸŽ–οΈ HC: Plato Mok, Caitlin Shakeshaft, Magnus Madhra, Isla Madhra

Wind Solo: 10 Minute Recital – The Wind Medal
πŸ† Winner: Quintin Wong

Wind Solo: Level 3 – The Eleanor Robertson Medal
πŸ† Winner: Carter Burchill
πŸŽ–οΈ HC: Wesley Li, Helena Easterbrook, Aziz Richeh, Emilia Pidcock, Eryn Yanlin Shi

Wind Solo: Junior Challenge
πŸ† Joint Winners: Priscilla San & Thornton Lang

Wind Solo: 5 Minute Recital – Level 1–2
πŸ† Joint Winners: Isla Madhra & Suri Zhang

Wind Solo: Level 4 – The Owen Maguire Medal
πŸ† Winner: Rachel Kelly
πŸŽ–οΈ HC: Horace Siu

A special thank you to Paul Harris for sharing his wisdom with performers and audiences alike. His thoughtful comments, musical insights, and practical tips were inspiring and hugely valuable to our young musicians. We’re very grateful for his time and encouragement, and wish him a safe journey home!

Day 8 – Wind, Bands and the Final Piano Recital Class Welcome Paul Harris back to Edinburgh as our adjudicator for the w...
11/03/2026

Day 8 – Wind, Bands and the Final Piano Recital Class

Welcome Paul Harris back to Edinburgh as our adjudicator for the wind and band classes. Wednesday began with the wonderful sound of woodwind and brass, bringing great energy to the morning. In the afternoon we enjoyed a wide range of wind non-competitive classes, from beginners to more advanced students, before finishing the day with our Open Wind Duet class and the 15-minute recitalists.

Class 131 – School Age Wind and/or Brass Bands πŸ† Winner: Musselburgh Grammar School

Class 132 – School Age Wind or Recorder Groups πŸ† Winner: Fettes College Flute Group πŸŽ–οΈ HC: Mistral Recorder Trio

Class 134 – Wind Ensembles: Open πŸŽ–οΈ HC: Edinburgh Society of Recorder Players, Flutterfingers (In effect first equal – the only two ensembles in the class, both very different and both excellent.)

Class 111 – Wind Duets: Open πŸ† Winners: Ruth Henderson & Charlotta Robinson

Class 101 – Wind Solo: 15 Minute Recital (Open) The Rennie Moncrieff Medal πŸ† Winner: Jemma Grosse

We also heard the final of our Piano classes:
Class 301 – Piano Solo: 15 Minute Recital (Open) The Elizabeth Ritchie Medal πŸ† Winner: Ki Ming JiaπŸŽ–οΈ HC: Christian Wong, Daniel Cairney, Nicky Sim, Elina Purina, Connie Wang, William Goh

A huge thank you to Susan Clarke and Nadia Hinson for their pianistic expertise and dedication in overseeing the piano classes.

Day 7 – More Piano Classes and Chamber Music (Day 2) Another busy and enjoyable day of Piano classes across two venues, ...
11/03/2026

Day 7 – More Piano Classes and Chamber Music (Day 2)

Another busy and enjoyable day of Piano classes across two venues, with a wonderful mix of solo and chamber performances.

Class 308 – Classical Piano Solo: Levels 3–4
The Catherine Tomes Medal
πŸ† Winner: Suri Zhang

Class 305 – Piano Solo: Chopin (Open)The Chopin Medal
πŸ† Winner: Becca Ye πŸŽ–οΈ HC: Andre Pironi

Class 310 – Piano Solo: Level 3
The Jamieson Medal
πŸ† Winner: Arizona Richeh πŸŽ–οΈ HC: Gabriele Kurgonaite, Adam S. Y. Ling, Filip Cellary, Suri Zhang, Charlie Ju, Glory Akinkunle, Zoe Feng Thomas, Arthur Hamilton, Louke Tsang, Peace Osuigwe

Class 302 – Piano Solo: 10 Minute Recital
The Edna Lovell Medal
πŸ† Winner: Renee Lee πŸŽ–οΈ HC: Juliet Robertson, Alfie Primrose, Mike Sun, Sum Leung

Class 52 – Chamber Music: 18 and Under (Still at School)
The Norna Dalziel Medal
πŸ† Winner: EA Clarinet Quartet πŸŽ–οΈ HC: EA Floreat String Quartet; Samuel Sun, Elena Wang & Jamie Forsyth

The chamber music class featured a wonderful variety of ensembles and repertoire, which was greatly enjoyed by both the adjudicator and the audience.

Yesterday marked the start of our piano classes, with performances taking place across two venues and a range of reperto...
10/03/2026

Yesterday marked the start of our piano classes, with performances taking place across two venues and a range of repertoire from our young pianists and open competitors. It was a fantastic first day of piano playing with many impressive performances.

Class 304 – Piano Solo: 5 Minute Recital (Levels 1–2)
The Mary Moore Medal
πŸ† Winner: Aditya Shankar Pal
πŸŽ–οΈ HC: Oromo Cai, Melody Kuo

Class 311 – Piano Solo: Level 2
The Norman W. Motion Medal
πŸ† Winner: Uliana Spodin
πŸŽ–οΈ HC: Jasmine Yang, Timothy Chun, Hanah Reid, Eric Liu

Class 303 – Piano Solo: Junior Challenge
The Marion P. Gibb Medal
πŸ† Winner: Emily Watson
πŸŽ–οΈ HC: Mia Kuo, Zion Ziyuan Shi, Amir Farhane

Class 312 – Piano Solo: Level 1
The Lysbeth Melvin Medal
πŸ† Winner: Aadith Prabhu
πŸŽ–οΈ HC: Yiyang Zan, Antoni Cellary, Apolonia Plutka, Agnes Huntbatch, Moses Chen Xi Hook, Kiera Canning, Arielle Abbott, Ella Rosie

Class 309 – Piano Solo: Level 4
The William Townsend Medal
πŸ† Winner: Philip Gao
πŸŽ–οΈ HC: Nathan Leung, Hazel Brandt, Mayada Alkhamisi, Catherine Siqiao Wu

Class 306 – Piano Solo: Chopin (Levels 3–4)
The Maureen Spurgin Medal
πŸ† Winner: Nuo Yan Wang
πŸŽ–οΈ HC: Lena Lapata Keller

Class 307 – Classical Piano Solo: Open
The Christina Pentland Medal
πŸ† Winner: William Goh
πŸŽ–οΈ HC: Georges Corbineau

Class 321 – Piano Duets: Open
John Younger Medals
πŸ† Winners: Lewis Chen & Serena Chen

πŸ‘ Congratulations to all performers for a wonderful start to the piano classes!

Day 5 – Open Vocal ClassesA wonderful programme of open vocal classes, featuring repertoire ranging from art song and or...
08/03/2026

Day 5 – Open Vocal Classes

A wonderful programme of open vocal classes, featuring repertoire ranging from art song and oratorio to opera and recital performances. It was a fantastic showcase of many beautiful voices and musical storytelling. 🎢

Class 413 – French Song: Open
The Nan Reith Medal
πŸ† Winner: Claire Cridland

Class 412 – German Song: Open
The Edward Younger Medal
πŸ† Winner: Audrey Hogg

Class 414 – Vocal Solos: Open
The Marion Richardson Medal
πŸ† Winner: Si Chen

Class 415 – Oratorio Solo or Ensemble: Open
The Sidney Newman Medal
πŸ† Winner: Audrey Hogg

Class 416 – Opera Solo or Ensemble: Open
The Alice J. Fleming Medal
πŸ† Winner: Roger Robertson

Class 411 – Vocal Solo: 15 Minute Recital
The Alfred C. Young Medal
πŸ† Winner: MΓ©abh Downey

We would also like to thank our adjudicator Gaynor Keeble gakdiva10, for giving her time to adjudicate the Vocal classes over the past three days.

Day 4 – Vocal Solo Classes Another wonderful day of singing with more Vocal Solo and Songs from the Shows classes, showc...
07/03/2026

Day 4 – Vocal Solo Classes

Another wonderful day of singing with more Vocal Solo and Songs from the Shows classes, showcasing the fantastic talent of our young performers.

A special moment came during Class 424 – Vocal Solo: 11 to 13, when the Ella Lamb Medal was presented to Theo Wake by David Lamb, son of the late Ella Lamb. David stayed for the entire two-hour class and shared how wonderful it was to hear so many talented young singers β€” a lovely moment for everyone involved.

Class 428 – Songs from the Shows: 11–13
πŸ† Winner: Sinead Macdonald πŸŽ–οΈ HC: Annabelle Raistrick, Isabella Wilson, Anna Allan

Class 426 – Songs from the Shows: 17–18
πŸ† Winner: Zoe Loveday πŸŽ–οΈ HC: Amy Macleod

Class 424 – Vocal Solo: 11–13
The Ella Lamb Medal
πŸ† Winner: Theo WakeπŸŽ–οΈ HC: Millie Payne, Sophia Affleck, Isabella Salter, Anna Allan

Class 422 – Vocal Solo: 17–18
The Sheena McNeil Medal
πŸ† Winner: Zoe Loveday

Class 421 – Vocal Solo: 10 Minute Recital
The Winifred Crawford Smith Medal
πŸ† Winner: Deia Wilkinson πŸŽ–οΈ HC: Scott Xu

Class 417 – Songs & Duets from the Shows & Movies: Open
πŸ† Winner: Charlotte Welsh

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