A TALENTED singer from Great Sutton has won the vocal section of the inaugural Chester Music Society’s Young Musician of the Year competition.
Heather Heighway, 21, gave a recital of songs including Purcell’s Not All My Torments and Menotti’s All that Gold from Amahl and the Night Visitors to win at Chester’s King’s School on Sunday.
Heather is in her third year studying under Anne Dawson at Birmingham Conservatoire and she has performed as a guest soloist with the City of Chester Male Voice Choir and Chester Ladies Choir.
Joint second prizes were awarded to Suzanne McGrath and Faye Anglesea.
Pianist Selim Ungut, a pupil of Chester’s King’s School, won the instrumental section.
Adjudicator Kelvin Leslie described his performance as ‘highly accomplished and stylish’.
Selim, of Guilden Sutton, who accompanies the Waverton Singers, studies piano with John Gough and in summer 2010 gained distinction in the ABRSM (Associated Board of the Royal Schools of Music) performance diploma.
Second prize in the instrumental section went to euphonium player Daniel Morgan, with saxophonist Nicholas Bradley in third place.
Eighteen young musicians from Chester and district took part in the competition.
Organiser Lila Hallett, of Chester Music Society, said: “It is so encouraging to see that young people are still making the effort to achieve great things in classical music.”
Music society chairman David Woods added: “The society is delighted with the way this first venture has been welcomed by the music community. We look forward to repeating the exercise next year.”
The winners will perform in Chester on February 29, 2012.
