My goodness, our 2026 Instrumental Music Festival Finalists' Concert was incredible!

King's Ely Senior and Sixth Form (Years 9-13) musicians have been competing in a series of heats since the start of term, all vying for a place in the finals. As ever, the courage, talent, and musicianship displayed by students throughout the festival has been phenomenal, culminating in a spectacular Finalists' Concert inside Ely Cathedral.

Our adjudicator, Mr Daniel Prozesky - former principal clarinettist in the Cape Town Philharmonic Orchestra - had the unenviable task of selecting our winners. After much deliberation, Daniel announced the following: 

🌟 Years 9-11 Musician of the Year 2026: Zoey (piano)
🌟 Years 12-13 Musician of the Year 2026: Julian (violin)
🌟 Monica Hunter Piano Prize 2026: Thomas 

Congratulations of course to Zoey, Julian, and Thomas, but bravo too to every single student who entered this year's competition, including the other musicians who reached the finals - Lukasz (organ), Danny (saxophone), Alastair (cello), Gabby (marimba), Ezekiel-David (trombone), James (saxophone), Thomas (organ), and William (trumpet).

Thank you to everyone who has supported our young musicians throughout the festival, including of course our Music Teachers and Visiting Music Teachers for their expertise and guidance. Roll on our 2026 Vocal Music Festival after half term! 

Image taken by Keith Heppell Photography. Look out for lots more photos from the Finalists' Concert on our socials during half term.