• Sasha Scott, violin, at Breinton Young Performers

    Sasha Scott, violin, at Breinton Young Performers

  • Sasha Scott, violin, at Breinton Young Performers

    Sasha Scott, violin, at Breinton Young Performers

  • Hannah Dienes-Williams, soprano, at Breinton Young Performers

    Hannah Dienes-Williams, soprano, at Breinton Young Performers

  • Hannah Dienes-Williams, soprano, at Breinton Young Performers

    Hannah Dienes-Williams, soprano, at Breinton Young Performers

  • Hollie Tibbotts, flute, at Breinton Young Performers

    Hollie Tibbotts, flute, at Breinton Young Performers

  • Hollie Tibbotts, flute, at Breinton Young Performers

    Hollie Tibbotts, flute, at Breinton Young Performers

  • Amber Emson, violin, at Breinton Young Performers

    Amber Emson, violin, at Breinton Young Performers

  • Amber Emson, violin, at Breinton Young Performers

    Amber Emson, violin, at Breinton Young Performers

  • Alison Rhind, piano, at Breinton Young Performers

    Alison Rhind, piano, at Breinton Young Performers

  • Breinton Young Performers

    Breinton Young Performers

  • Breinton Young Performers

    Breinton Young Performers

  • Breinton Young Performers

    Breinton Young Performers

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Wow, what a vibrant and joy-packed evening, given by four fantastic teenage musicians! Mendelssohn, Mozart and Sibelius violin concertos, Schumann Lieders and Chansons by Fauré, Caucasus flute melodies and so much more in one evening – we could not have been more spoiled.

As in the previous years, we invited four talented young performers who aspire to a career in music in the future. This year, all of them happened to be female performers, but with different characters and styles; I feel each performer offered the best of their strengths and charms.

Sasha Scott, the youngest of all, opened the evening with her powerful choice of Ysaӱe’s Obsession and the 1st movement of Mendelssohn Violin Concerto. She is a dynamic player who was able to throw her musical messages directly at us. Her account of the Ysaӱe was delivered with acuteness and well-executed accentuation. We heard some really fleshy and meaty sounds throughout the Mendelssohn, which was very satisfying, and her singing vibratos in the lyrical passages were impressive.

Hannah Dienes-Williams, the 17-year old soprano, possessed a power and intelligence to draw the audience in. Britten’s Let the Florid Music Praise was a sensational way to start her programme, breaking the barrier between the performer and audience (if there was any). What an excellent control of voice, both in volume and differentiation of light and shade. The dark dream sequences of Nocturne were a shiveringly beautiful account and Schumann’s Widmung was a pure joy to listen to, like flowers blossoming one-by-one until the room was full.

Through her excellently balanced and well-chosen programme, sandwiching the baroque flute concerto by two relatively modern composers, flautist Hollie Tibbotts offered a flowing musicality. She had a wonderful breath and sound control, an ability to capture the right mood for each piece, and play quick successive notes smoothly. The beautiful opening melody and following passages of the Jacob’s Concerto were much appreciated. Taktakishivili’s Flute Sonata was such a charming, fun piece which got me toe-tapping.

It was Amber Emson’s second appearance at Breinton. Those who had attended last year’s Young Performers evening were all amazed how she has developed and matured into a stunning performer. A beautiful rendition of the 1st movement of Mozart Violin Concerto No 3 was heard with a smooth, unbroken string of silvery sounds. In Fugue from Bach’s solo Sonata No. 2, Amber projected all the incredible voices with grace. And what a finale – we shared the rhythm, momentum and excitement of Sibelius Violin Concerto 3rd movement delivered with such authority and elegance.

None of the above would have been possible without our piano collaborator in residence (I’ve just given her this title!), Alison Rhind. Her experience, skilled technique, insightful interpretation, sympathetic approach and care towards each performer added a level of comfort to the young musicians and huge enjoyment to the whole evening.

Many thanks to Rhia, who turned pages flawlessly for the entire evening.

Amber Emson started playing violin at the age of 5 as a pupil of Margaret Norris and later Natasha Boyarsky; in 2009 she joined RAM’s Junior Department. As a student at Chetham’s School of Music 2014-16, she won the school’s Concerto Competition resulting in a performance of Mendelssohn’s Violin Concerto with Chetham’s Sinfonia at Manchester Cathedral, and the Catherine Perkins Chamber Music Prize. Amber is currently a music scholar at Reeds School in Cobham; she studies violin under the tutelage of Maciej Rakowski and enhances her music education at RCM’s Junior Department.

Hannah Dienes-Williams is 17 and a Music Scholar at Guildford High School. Her singing teacher is Gary Coward.

She joined Guildford Cathedral Choir at the age of nine and was its Head Chorister from 2017-18. Over her seven years as a member, she has featured as a soloist on two BBC radio broadcasts and a CD recording with the choir, as well as frequently performing solos in services and concerts, including the Pie Jesu from Duruflé’s Requiem with the Southern Pro Musica Orchestra, as well as works by Cecilia McDowell and James MacMillan.

Sasha Scott is an Anglo-Caribbean violinist and composer from Wembley, London. She was a violinist at the Royal Academy of Music primary and junior department for four years and was a member of the National Children’s Orchestra GB for six years, winning a Leverhulme scholarship on two occasions.  

Hollie Tibbotts is 16 years old and has been playing the flute for nearly 10 years. Since she was 13, she was taught by Steve Goodwin at Woking High School and became Principal Flute and Piccolo for the Windband.  She also won the Lorna Patterson Award for Special Achievement in Music, resulting in being invited by the Mayor of Woking to play ‘Sonatina’ by Burton at their Civic Reception.

Alison Rhind is recognised as one of the leading collaborative pianists specialising in the repertoire for piano and strings. Her ability to accompany was recognised and nurtured at an early age whilst still at Chetham’s School of Music and she became increasingly in demand throughout her time at Oxford University where she read Music at Wadham College. Chetham’s invited her back immediately she had finished her degree but she completed her studies with Edith Vogel at the Guildhall School of Music before returning there.

  • Hannah Diens-Williams, soprano
    • Britten:  from On This Island
    • Schumann:  from Myrthen
    • Faure:  three pieces
  • Hollie Tibbotts, flute
    • Jacob:  1st movement from Flute Concerto
    • JC Bach:  3rd movement from Flute Concerto in D
    • Taktakishvili:  1st movement from Sonata
  • Amber Emson, violin
    • Bach:  Fugue from Violin Sonata No. 2
    • Sibelius:  3rd movement from Violin Concerto in D minor
    • C Schumann:  Romanze No. 1
  • Sasha Scott, violin
    • Mendelssohn:  1st movement fromViolin Concerto in E minor
    • Ysaye:  1st movement from Sonata No. 2
  • Alison Rhind, piano accompanist