Rotary Young Musician Of The Year Competition

A new look competition is being launched this week by the Rotary Club of Dover in its quest to find the 2007 Young Musician of the Year.

Building on the success of previous years, the club has expanded the competition to include anyone who is living in, or who attends a state or private school in the Dover district area. Also new for this year, the club is inviting applications for instrumentalists only.

Dozens of letters have gone out to schools in the area as well as to peripatetic music teachers announcing the competition.

Any instrumentalist is welcome to audition but judges are looking for serious musicians who can perform to grade six level or higher. Not only is a title on offer, but valuable cash prizes of £250 for the winner and £100 for the runner up together with a great trophy will be handed out. Previous winners and contestants have built on their success by winning other competitions, performing at local venues with well known groups or are now at University, studying to enter the fiercely competitive professional world of music.

Auditions will take place on 24 February to select those talented individuals who will go forward to perform in the Final. Those chosen musicians will compete for the prestigious title of 2007 Rotary Young Musician of the Year in the Final Gala Concert at the Dover Town Hall at 7.30pm on 24 March 2007.

Rotarian Chris Barnett, explains: "We have decided that with the experience of a number of competitions to our credit we can be more ambitious this year. So far the competition has attracted some outstanding talent, who have been provided with a platform to display their skills and produce an exciting evening's entertainment. I am confident that this year will be no exception particularly with competitors coming from a much wider area."