Top music students vie for honours

Rotorua's best music students will come together to showcase their skills and perform for $2300 in prize money.

For the 26th year, registered music teachers in Rotorua will hold a competition for their music students in the area.

The senior scholarship of the Institute of Registered Music Teachers' Rotorua branch will see pianists, vocalists or instrumentalists of grade six level and above competing.

They will come together on Saturday, August 31, to perform at the Rotorua Convention Centre.

Each musician will perform in front of adjudicator Stephen de Pledge of Auckland University, for 15 to 20 minutes, displaying a range of works.

It is free entry for the public to watch the trials, which will be held during the day.

A formal evening concert will also be held at night, where 12 contestants perform for 5-6 minutes, followed by the six finalists, who will perform again.

Entry to the night-time concert is $15 and it starts at 7.30pm.

First place will receive $1000 prize money, with $2300 up for grabs altogether.

There is also a Best Presentation Cup, awarded to the best performer over the whole day, and a Best Piano Solo award, donated by the Chou family. Winners in the past have included Kathryn Lauder, Lara Harris, Alice Collins, Siobhan Stubbs, Fredi Jones, Yukako Tanaka, Sayaka Hughes and last year's winner saxophonist Louisa Williamson.

Many of these musicians and other placegetters have gone on to become music teachers and performers at a high level.

This will be the first time in four years the competition has returned to the Rotorua Convention Centre.