Success for Laura
Friday 4 April 2014
RCM guitarist Laura Snowden has won First Prize in the Worshipful Company of Musicians Ivor Mairants Guitar Competition 2014.
Following her triumphant competition performance on Friday 28 March, Laura was awarded £1000 for tuition, a Manuel Rodriguez guitar worth £1500, £500 cash prize and the complete Rodrigo guitar works, as well as recital opportunities with leading UK guitar societies.
The first Ivor Mairants Guitar Award competition - named after one of Britain’s foremost 20th century guitarists - took place in 1998 in the City of London. Several former winners now enjoy highly successful careers as concert and recording artists, including Xuefei Yang, Milos Karadaglic and Sean Shibe.
Laura is a postgraduate RCM Scholar, supported by a McFadzean Whyte Award, a Jacqueline Ward Award, a Countess of Munster Trust Award, and a Julian Bream Trust Award. She is also a successful composer – her music has been broadcast on BBC Radio 3 and premiered at Sadlers Wells, Deal Festival and Handel House, and her Five Impressions for violin and guitar will be featured in this year’s RCM String Showcase at the Wigmore Hall. Laura also performs and writes music for Tir Eolas – a folk ensemble that formed at the RCM and won a City Music Foundation Award in October 2013.
