The Final of the 2026 Merchant Taylors’ Young Musician of the Year Competition took place in the Lalani Barn Theatre on the evening of Wednesday 28th January. Having heard over 80 performances in the preliminary rounds, the final comprised 17 performances by 15 musicians from both Taylors’ Senior and Taylors’ Prep. The competition was adjudicated by Mr Barry Hopwood, Director of Music at St John’s School, Northwood.
The evening opened with the strings class, beginning with Louis F.’s (3rds) lyrical performance of Faure’s Elegie. This was followed by Aiden W.’s (3rds) sparkling rendition of Monti’s ever-popular Czardas. The woodwind class began with Xiling W. (MTP) performing Morlacchi’s virtuosic Il Pastore Svizzero, before Jayde L. (MTP) played the charming Ophelia Rag by James Scott. Eashar S. (U3rds) chose two contrasting movements from Dunhill’s Phantasy Suite in which to display his assured clarinet playing. Next came Yi-Kin W. (MTP), whose performance of the first movement of Poulenc’s flute sonata was wonderfully adept.
The final competitor of the class was Siddhant C. (MTP), who impressed the audience with his lively playing of Gomez’s Lorito Caprice. The percussion round began with Yanuss B. (3rds) on the mrindangam, displaying his deep understanding of the instrument in his entrancing performance of Athi Thalam. Zac L. (MTP) then took to the drum kit to play Jono Harrison’s Camden Square, a crisp and rhythmic performance.
The singing class began with Neil B. (3rds), who gave a reflective performance of Schoenberg’s Bring Him Home. Next came Haziq A. (MTP), who beautifully sang Gershwin’s Love Walked In, before Henry I. (3rds) took to the stage with his captivating rendition of Bring Him Home, a truly dramatic and confident performance.
The final class, of pianists, opened with Yishen L. (3rds) playing one of Scarlatti’s finely-crafted sonatas. Xiling W. (MTP) then returned to the spotlight for his performance of Gliere’s deceptively titled Prelude in D-flat from 8 Pieces Faciles. Ronan K. (3rds) played next, giving an atmospheric performance of Bera-Tagrine’s Terminal 2. Jayde L. (MTP) made another appearance next, with his carefully-crafted performance of Debussy’s Dr Gradus ad Parnassum. The final performance of the evening was Lizst’s Liebestraum No. 3, played by by Shota A. (3rds).
After much deliberation, the prizes were awarded as follows:
| String Class | Louis F. on the Cello |
| Woodwind Class | Siddhant C. on the Clarinet |
| Percussion Class | Yanuss B. on the Mridangam |
| Singing Class | Haziq A. |
| Piano | Shoto A. |
The overall winner was Shoto A. on the Piano
