Are you a talented young musician? Chester Music Society invites you to take part in our exciting Young Musician of the Year competition! Open to musicians aged 18 and under, this is your chance to showcase your skills and be celebrated for your musical talent.
Who Can Enter?
We have three age categories:
- Class 1: 12 years and under, minimum grade 3 or equivalent
- Class 2: 13-15 year olds minimum grade 6 or equivalent
- 16-18 year olds minimum grade 8 or equivalent
You’re welcome to play any instrument you like (except the organ), or sing, and your music teacher—who should recommend you—will need to be listed on your application form. You’ll also need to live within 40 miles of Chester and be the right age for your chosen category on the day of the competition.
Competition Format
You’ll get to perform a diverse program of your own choosing, and just one piece should be played from memory. Classes 1 and 2’s programmes should be approximately 10 minutes long, Class 3: 15 minutes.
You must submit a brief biography with the list of the music you’ll perform. Copies of your scores may be brought on the day. The non-refundable Application fee is £10 and should be submitted with your application form.
All winners and runners up must agree to participate in a public concert organised by Chester Music Society.
The competition is open to the public (Admission £5). Admission for the Winners’ concert is £10. Under 18s free.
Prizes & Awards
- £100 for the winner of each category
- The overall winner is crowned Chester Young Musician of the Year, receives an additional £250, and is awarded the prestigious David Woods Trophy, retained for 12 months.
- The Lila Hallett Award is presented to the most promising musician from the Under 12s and 13-15 age groups who isn’t a category winner
Young Musician Bursaries
The Young Musician of the Year and the other winner and runners up in Class 3 will be invited to apply for two bursaries of £500 on condition it is used to support their musical journey to fulfill their ambitions to become professional musicians.
How to Enter the 2026 Competition
Applications will open again around September 2026.
Data Protection
We keep information and photographs of entrants to help us manage the competition, promote it, and maintain a database of potential performers for future Society events. If you’d like to see the information we have about you, or if you’d like to update it or have it removed, please email us at youngmusician@chestermusicsociety.org.uk
2025 winners
The Society’s President, pianist Martin Roscoe presented awards to the following young musicians (l to r) : Malina Cress, violin, runner up under 12s class ; Natalie Chu, piano, runner up 13-15 class ; Moli Ormrod, clarinet, winner of the Lilla Hallett Award; Aiqi Li, piano, winner under 12s class ; Pheobe Xu, piano winner 13-15 class; Emily Bowden, clarinet, runner up 16-18 class ; Vinchy Ho, oboe, winner 16-18 class and David Woods Trophy winner and Chester Young Musician of the Year 2025.