Teenage musician wins major prize after tuning up to take on three other talented soloists

A talented accordionist from Milngavie has won Scotland's national music school's highly prestigious Directors' Recital Prize 2017.
Ryan (centre) with fellow finalists and judgesRyan (centre) with fellow finalists and judges
Ryan (centre) with fellow finalists and judges

Ryan Corbett (18), a S6 pupil, was declared the winner of the 17th annual competition following a closely contested final with three other senior soloists from St Mary’s Music School, in Edinburgh - Scotland’s only independent specialist music school.

Ryan played Sonata in F Major K 107 by Giuseppe Domenico Scarlatti, The Ruined Cathedral by Vaclav Trojan and Don Rhapsody by Viacheslav Semionov.

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Ryan said: “It is a real honour to be awarded this prize and I’d like to thank the whole school for being so supportive of me over the course of the year.”

Dr Kenneth Taylor, Headteacher at St Mary’s Music School, said: “This year we had 21 entries for the Directors’ Recital Prize and I would like to congratulate all pupils on their performances.

“The very high standard we witnessed is a tribute to the hard work, enthusiasm and musicianship of our pupils, their teachers and accompanists.

“I congratulate Ryan on his well-deserved win which is a reflection of his talent and dedication to music.

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“For aspiring professional musicians, audiences are vital and I thank everyone who attended to listen and support the four young finalists”.

Ryan has been at St Mary’s Music School since September 2016 after five years of attending the Music School of Douglas Academy, Milngavie.

He began playing accordion aged ten and has won many awards and trophies, most recently in this year’s Annual International Accordion Championships in Klingenthal, Germany, where he was selected to perform in the highlights concert in the Berlin Philharmonie.

He has also won the Royal Conservatoire of Scotland Concerto Competition, was a finalist in the Edinburgh Competition Festival concerto class, won the school’s 2017 Concerto Competition and played as soloist in Vaclav Trojan’s ‘Fairy Tales’.

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