Dotty Named Bath Young Musician of the Year

Many congratulations to Year 13 musician, Dotty Hodge, who was recently named Bath Young Musician of the Year, following a glittering concert at the Pump Rooms in Bath, organised by the Mid-Somerset Festival.

Five talented musicians competed for the title, including a second KES musician, Indira Pandit.

The competition began with Indira on the cello, giving full expression and texture to the music of Debussy and Shostakovich. This was followed by the rich, joyous sounds of Dotty’s alto saxophone which filled the high-ceilinged ballroom. Rebecca Shea said she loved the first of her pieces, Frank Bridge’s Allegro Appassionata, because, ‘it explores the full range of the viola’ and her enjoyment was well-communicated to the audience. She ended her repertoire with an arrangement of Prokofiev’s Dance of the Knights, now familiar as the theme tune to The Apprentice.

Following all 5 performances, adjudicator Simon Kudurand praised all the young musicians and said their playing was fantastic but the three adjudicators were unanimous in their decision and Dotty was named Bath Young Musician of the Year. Her contrasting repertoire, with pieces from Darius Milhaud, Michael McGlynn and Jules Demersseman, displayed her virtuosity and phenomenal stage presence.

The Mayor of Bath Cllr Dine Romero congratulated the talented performers and presented the winner’s trophy while Paul Roper gave each competitor a certificate and cash prize on behalf of the Roper family, the Mid-Somerset Festival’s main sponsor.

Reflecting on the musical careers of both Dotty and Indira, Mr Rupert Drury, Director of Music at KES, said:

“Dotty is a hugely experienced and gifted King Edward’s school performer. She has been involved in a great many of our ensembles and all manner of events ever since she arrived at the School, gaining valuable skills not only as soloist, but also becoming a key member and leader in vocal and instrumental groups. We have hugely valued not only her dedication and talent but have been struck by her honest and intelligent connection to the style of the music she is performing, and her free and clear physical communication skills when playing to an audience. Dotty has always had a high level of technical proficiency on saxophone (she also Grade 8 Distinction on clarinet and piano, and is a skilled singer) and she has recently enjoyed working on adding more expressive elements to her performance.”

“Indira has made lightening progress on both the cello (and incidentally, the piano), displaying a maturity of technique and sound beyond her years. Her outstanding dedication, depth of preparation, and natural inquisitiveness to all areas of music has allowed her to tackle some extremely challenging repertoire as a soloist, as well as become the leader of our cello sections in many school ensembles. She possesses a powerful tone, and her musical intelligence has allowed her to start shaping what she has to say stylistically as an individual in the pieces she performs. She recently stunned an audience in the Holburne Museum with her exquisite interpretation of Kenneth Leighton’s Elegy for cello. Indira is now taking an active role in national level orchestras outside school, is a keen composer and we are sure that, based on her great potential as a young artist, she will be inspiring audiences of the future on many professional stages.”