2022 Concerto Class Finalists
​Four finalists were selected to play in the final of the 2022 Concerto Class. Please find out more about them below.
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Sofia Ros - Winner of the Audrey Innes Trophy 2022
Winner of Trophée Mondiale de l’accordeon 2020 and Vienna International Music Competition 2021 at the age of 18, Sofia Ros is a student of the distinguished Serbian accordionist and pedagogue Djordje Gajic at the Royal Conservatoire of Scotland. In September 2021, Sofia made her debut at the Musikverein’s Brahms Saal in Vienna. In the up-coming season 2021/2022, she will be performing A. Piazzolla’s ‘Aconcagua’ Concerto with the Irving Symphony Orchestra in Dallas, Texas with maestro Hector Guzmán. She will also perform in other well-known venues throughout the UK such as the Purcell Room and Corinthia Hotel organized by the Drake Calleja Trust.
She has been awarded a number of first prizes in international accordion competitions, including most recently the Moscow International Music Competition 2021, ‘London Young Musician of the year 2020/21’ and will be working on a CD recording with TrueArt TV as part of the prize. Sofia has also won awards at international competitions abroad in Klingethal (Germany), Castelfidardo and San Vincenzo (Italy). First prizes in Spain include the Arraste Accordion Competition 2012, 2018 and 2019 and in Scotland, the ‘Allie Cullen’ Memorial Prize as part of Glasgow Music Festival Competition 2019.
Born in the Canary Islands (Spain), Sofia gained a full scholarship to study at Scotland’s National Specialist Music School ‘St. Mary’s Music School’ in Edinburgh at the age of 13 where she studied for 4 years, winning their annual competition “Director’s Recital Prize” in 2020. In 2021, she was awarded a partial ABRSM EU Undergraduate Scholarship at the Royal Conservatoire of Scotland as well as being supported by the Craxton Memorial Trust and Talent Unlimited.
Sofia plays a Pigini ‘Super Compact’ bayan made in Castelfidardo, Italy.
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Ethan Loch
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Ethan was born in 2004 and diagnosed completely blind since birth. As a toddler, he would explore the piano for hours imitating his first inspiration, Rowlf the piano-playing dog from the Muppet Show. His other inspiration, the DVD "Horowitz in Vienna", he played relentlessly. His formal piano lessons began at age 4 with his mother, but he now studies with Fali Pavri (Royal Conservatoire of Scotland). He has been composing since early childhood and loves to tell imaginative stories in his compositions.
In 2016 Ethan was awarded his first major international award from the Vatican. He received the Premio Asoluto prize at the 15th International "Giuseppe Sciacca" awards in Rome, for his ability to create music "full of colours" as an inspiration to all. In July 2019 Ethan won the Scottish International Youth Piano Competition as part of the Moray Prize at the Royal Conservatoire of Scotland. Ethan's first CD, 'Mysterious Pathways Volume One' was featured on Classic FM and on a Canadian Broadcasting Corporation radio documentary featuring his collaboration with the Canadian artist Tony Luciani who painted the cover image.
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Shakira Segalla-Humbert
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Shakira started learning cello aged 7 at the Edinburgh Young Musicians School with Cindy Holden. After a successful audition she joined the City of Edinburgh Music School studying with Harriet Davidson and Dr Mitchell. At age 10 she was offered a place at the Nigel Murray masterclass with Steven Isserlis. She has had masterclasses with him over a number of years and with him she appears on the video ‘On being a musician’. She later joined St Mary’s Music School, studying with Duncan Strachan and Ruth Beauchamp. She’s currently studying at the Junior Royal Conservatoire of Scotland with Alison Wells.
Supported by several bursaries and awards Shakira has had the opportunity to play at masterclasses given by Nicholas Jones, Hannah Roberts, Nicolas Altstaedt, Pieter Wispelwey and Gautier Capuçon among others. She has been a member of the National Children’s Orchestra, the National Youth Orchestra of Scotland and Chineke! Junior.
Shakira has won several prizes at the Edinburgh Music Competition Festival over the years, notably the Gray medal, the Winifred Gavine medal for solo recital and the Marjorie Clark medal as a duo with the violinist Daniel Dalland.
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Shakira will move on to study with Alison Wells at the Royal Conservatoire of Scotland next year.
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Chun-Yi Kang
Chun-Yi started learning violin at the age of 6. From a young age she enjoyed performing in school and at community concerts, including charitable events such as Rwanda Comfort. She is now 17 years old and in her last year at Douglas Academy. At the age of 13, Chun-Yi performed Mendelssohn’s Violin Concerto with the RCS Juniors Symphony Orchestra, and in the same year she joined the National Youth Orchestra of Great Britain, performing in the BBC Proms, Berlin and beyond.
Chun-Yi was a finalist in the Edinburgh Competition Festival’s concerto class in 2020, playing Wieniawski’s 2nd Concerto. She has been awarded prizes including the Hugh S Robertson Trophy and Diploma in the International Masters of Sonata Competition. As a Christian, Chun-Yi contributes to music-making and praise at her church. She enjoys both singing and playing piano and was the winner of the ABRSM Lindsay Lamb Memorial Bursary for her Grade 8 piano in 2017.
Chun-Yi currently studies at the Junior Royal Conservatoire of Scotland with Professor Andrea Gajic, who has been her teacher for over six years.
Unfortunately, owing to illness Chun-Yi was unable to take part in the Concerto Competition Final.
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