Sixteen-year-old pianist Lara Ömeroğlu has been named BBC Young Musician 2010 after a sensational performance of Saint-Saëns’s Piano Concerto No. 2 in the Donald Gordon theatre of Cardiff’s Wales Millennium Centre.
Her musically and technically mature playing combined with her astute sense of ensemble saw off competition from the two other impressive finalists, 14-year-old violinist Callum Smart and 17-year-old flautist Emma Halnan, all of whom played a concerto of their choice with the BBC National Orchestra of Wales under Vasily Petrenko.
As well as the prestige of winning the UK’s most important competition for young people, Lara Ömeroğlu wins £2,000 and a specially-designed trophy.
The BBC Young Musician competition, which celebrated its 30th anniversary 2008, this year featured a new semi-final stage at which the five winners of each category final were whittled down to the three musicians at yesterday’s final.
The Walter Todds Bursary, awarded at the discretion of the BBC to a performer who did not reach the final but who showed great promise throughout the competition, was won by 13-year-old pianist Yuanfan Yang.
The final was broadcast on BBC Two and BBC Radio 3. Those in the UK can watch the ceremony again online by clicking here or listen by clicking here. The full story will appear in the July issue of BBC Music Magazine.