A young guitarist has been named as Caerphilly County Borough Schools Young Contemporary Musician of the Year 2009.
Fifteen-year-old James Gair-Owens, a pupil at Ysgol Gyfun Cwm Rhymni, took the top title at the popular annual music competition held last Saturday.
More than 140 youngsters entered this year’s event and they battled it out through the preliminary stages before a shortlist was decided in the categories of Guitar, Bass, Drums, Singing and composition.
An array of talent was on display in front of the judges and after a long day of impressive performances James was declared the overall winner.
Racheal Rajah, a student at St Martins Comprehensive, was awarded the title of Caerphilly County Borough Schools’ Young Contemporary Singer of the Year 2009.
Nathan Battersby, a student at Lewis School Pengam, was awarded the title of Caerphilly County Borough Schools’ Young Contemporary Composer of the Year 2009 after submitting a composition called “Finding Out”.
The Mayor of Caerphilly County Borough John Evans, presented the trophies to the delighted winners.
He said: “Every year this event showcases the outstanding talent that we have in our local schools and it was a pleasure to see how these young people are excelling in their chosen fields.
“The high standard is also a credit to the music provision in our schools and the support provided by the Caerphilly Music Service. I’d like to congratulate everyone involved.”