On the weekend of the 23rd and 24th May 2015, The International School @ ParkCity hosted the inaugural AIMS Young Musician Award. Schools from AIMS (Association of International Malaysian Schools) were invited to enter two students from the Primary age group and two students from the Lower Secondary age group to take part in a nationwide competition for young musicians.
We were joined by respected musicians of international repute as judges; Mr Bill Thomson, senior ABRSM examiner, joined us from Hong Kong and Mr Eugene Pook, Malaysia-based conductor and educator, also gave his time and experience.
When Mr Andrew Dalton, Chairman of AIMS and Principal of The International School @ ParkCity, started the proceedings on Saturday, there was an atmosphere of excitement as the audience prepared for an extraordinary afternoon of musical entertainment. The preliminary rounds were filled with students of prodigious talent and the judges had an incredibly difficult task deciding which of the young musicians would progress to Sunday’s Grand Final.
The Grand Final on Sunday featured six finalists in each category. Each musician played with amazing technical fluency and musicality; separating them provided another headache for the judges. After much deliberation, Rebecca from The Alice Smith School was crowned the winner of the Primary category for her performance on the flute. The Secondary category proved too difficult to choose only one winner and the judges decided to announce joint winners. Kevin from elc International School performed with such distinction on the saxophone and Kathrina from Tenby Setia Eco Park School dazzled with her superb harp playing; both were very worthy winners of the coveted award.
Overall, it was a truly wonderful event that showcased some of the most musically talented students from international schools across the whole of Malaysia. Looking ahead, AIMS Young Musician Award 2016 will be a treat!
