The 2014 Caerphilly Young Musician of the Year was won by harpist Eluned Hollyman.
The 17-year-old Ysgol Gyfun Cwm Rhymni student beat 100 contestants to win the prize on Saturday April 5.
Eluned won the award after performing Impromputu – Caprice by Paul Pierne, to an audience including the Mayor of Caerphilly County Borough, councillors and professional musicians, having won the preliminary rounds earlier in the day.
Abigail Birkinshaw, 17, of Lewis Girls’ School in Cefn Hengoed won the Young Composer of the Year and her composition, Impressions, was performed on the night.
Each winner received a trophy and £100 prize from Cllr Rhiannon Passmore, Caerphilly County Borough Council’s Cabinet Member for Education, while the other all-female finalists won £50 each.
Cllr Passmore said: “It has been a pleasure to hear each of these talented young musicians play this evening. Caerphilly County Borough Council is committed to encouraging young talent and aim to offer them every opportunity to excel.
“I wish every young musician who entered the competition the best for their future.”
Ken Hunt, Interim Head of Caerphilly Music Service, added: “I am delighted by the scope of talent we have seen at Young Musician of the Year competition.
“We would like to thank the professional musicians and the adjudicators who attended the competition from the Royal Welsh College of Music and Drama.”
Well done Eluned, you are the latest in a long history of fine harpists from this area. In 1893, speaking at the World’s Fair in Chicago, John Thomas, harpist to Queen Victoria said, “Caerphilly has produced more harps and harpists than Minnesota has produced wheat.”
Good to see the tradition continues.