RCM Worldwide winner announced
Monday 17 September 2018
RCM violinist Esther Abrami has won the Royal College of Music’s #RCMWorldwide competition 2018. Her photo, taken in Vienna in Austria, was one of many from RCM staff, students and alumni capturing their international travels and musical adventures this summer.
Esther is from France and is currently in the fourth year of her undergraduate degree, studying with Leonid Kerbel. She travelled to Vienna this summer to take part in the Summa Cum Laude international youth music festival, where she spoke to students and performed in a Gala concert at the Wiener Konzerthaus.
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RCM Chairman Lord Black of Brentwood judged this year’s competition. He commented: ‘Esther’s photo is gorgeous and really captures the feeling of being in a great, classical city like Vienna. The RCM Worldwide competition offers a chance to see just how international the Royal College of Music is and how it opens doors for talented young musicians to make music anywhere and everywhere. RCM students are wonderful ambassadors for music and musical education the world over.’
The variety of entries to this year’s competition reflects the diverse community at the RCM, where students from 60 different countries come to receive a world-class musical education. From Wales to Colorado, RCM students and alumni travelled all over the world this summer to make music. Europe was a popular destination: the Delphi Quartet performed at Music Fest in Aberystwyth, bassoonist Ashby Mayes performed with the National Youth Wind Orchestra in Switzerland and trumpeter Amy Ronson spent time in Portimão in Portugal. Some went even further afield, like cellist William Walker who took part in the Aspen Music Festival in Colorado and Andrew Brown who sang with the American Bach Soloists Summer Academy in San Francisco.
Lord Black also chose two competition runners-up: Polish composer Tymon Zgorzelski’s photo taken in Croatia and a submission from France sent by RCM alumna and recorder player Fatima Lanham.
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