young trombonist bbc young musician of year

[alocispepraluger102]

http://entertainment.timesonline.co.uk/tol...icle3914015.ece

[Chuck Nessa]

I'd probably have voted for the 18-year old flautist from Fife.

[Larry Kart]

How is he the 'youngest ever' winner when he is the same age as Jennifer Pike was when she won in 2002?

Bianca S, Maidenhead, UK

Yeah -- what's up with that?

[Larry Kart]

And Jennifer has come a good ways since age 12:

http://www.jenniferpike.com/

[Alexander Hawkins]

How is he the 'youngest ever' winner when he is the same age as Jennifer Pike was when she won in 2002?

Bianca S, Maidenhead, UK

Yeah -- what's up with that?

Do they actually share a birthday?

In any case - I haven't caught any of this on TV this year, but it's a great competition. Some truly phenomenal talents.

[Larry Kart]

How is he the 'youngest ever' winner when he is the same age as Jennifer Pike was when she won in 2002?

Bianca S, Maidenhead, UK

Yeah -- what's up with that?

Do they actually share a birthday?

In any case - I haven't caught any of this on TV this year, but it's a great competition. Some truly phenomenal talents.

I assume that Bianca S. is saying that 12 is 12, while the BBC is now breaking it down to month/day of birth because that makes this year's winner special.

[tonym]

It was a great competition until the finals when a combination of banal presentation and crowd pleasing pieces took precedence; the flautist and the trombonist both played solo pieces they had performed in the semi. At one point one could have imagined the young brass player quite at home in Victorian rags, soot marked knees and cheeks, riding his Hovis bike up a steep cobbled street against a backdrop of grainy black and white! I'm not doubting the kid's talent one iota -- but they played on his age and it won him the competition. During the finale's transmission we didn't get to hear the judges' criticisms, possibly due to the audience. A real shame because one thing they were looking for was a musician that brought the pieces to life and that didn't happen for me in either the flautist's pieces or the winner's. It all went a bit 'Britain's Got Talent' IMO. And if you're not familiar with that particular show, then lucky you...

[Larry Kart]

The clip on Jennifer Pike's site

http://www.jenniferpike.com/

of her playing the opening few minutes of Saint-Saens' Introduction and Rondo Carpiccioso is pretty stunning IMO.