A student from Wareham has been named one of three national winners in the inaugural Lark Music-Making Competition, organised by Bournemouth Symphony Orchestra.
Amy Jerman won the 18 to 24 age category with her solo piano composition The Starling, inspired by the bird’s natural beauty and rapid decline in numbers. She receives a £1,000 prize and a year’s access to the orchestra’s online concerts.
The competition, which celebrates amateur musicians from across the UK, asked entrants to submit recordings of bird-inspired music. Amy, a composer and multi-instrumentalist, developed her piece after hearing starlings near the Purbeck coast during the Swanage Jazz Festival.
Two other winners were also announced: Llewella White from London, who performed a solo harp piece based on a murmuration of starlings, and guitarist Rob Johnston from Hampshire, who was inspired by a dawn chorus he heard while camping.
The judging panel, made up of musicians and broadcasters including conductor Enyi Okpara and violinist Tania Davis, praised Amy’s work as “cinematic” and “incredibly well written”.
Thirty finalists were selected from almost 100 entries and will each receive access to Bournemouth Symphony Orchestra’s digital platform, which features 19 concerts across the season.
The competition was supported by Lark Music Insurance.
