An Oxford University student who won a music competition at the Sheldonian Theatre with her performance of a Tchaikovsky violin concerto had described the experience as wonderful.
Savitri Grier, who studies Music at Christ Church College and is originally from Wembley, was one of three finalists of the Concerto Competition, launched by Oxford County Council and Oxford Philomusica to celebrate young musical talent in the city.
The 19-year-old and fellow Oxford students, violinist Emmanuel Bach and pianist Osman Tack, also both 19, went head-to-head on Saturday night for the chance to win £1,000 and to play with Oxford Philomusica at their next Sheldonian performance.
Savitri said: “I really enjoyed the experience. You can never tell with these things but I was very pleased with my performance. It was a really nice experience. I had a lot of fun and it was great to work with a professional orchestra. It was wonderful to play in the Sheldonian and it felt like a very friendly atmosphere, which was nice."
Savitri, who began playing violin at the age of four, said she has been a Tchaikovsky fan since childhood. “I chose the concerto because it’s so full of heartfelt emotion. It’s a great experience to try to get on the inside of it. I’ve always loved this concerto, it was one of the ones I was absolutely desperate to play," she said.
“I get to play another concerto with the Philomusica next year which will be really, really fun. The chance to play with a professional orchestra is something I m really looking forward to.”
Under 19s who are not professional performers or music teachers but have attained Grade 8 or above as a singer or instrumentalist were invited to enter the competition in August. The three finalists were chosen from a shortlist of eight who performed a movement from a concerto with the County Youth Orchestra on January 21.
Former Abingdon School pupil, Osman Tack, performed a Schman concerto on Saturday and came third in the competition, which was judged by Marios Papadopoulos, the director of Oxford Philomusica and Tony Mealings, Head of Oxfordshire County Council’s music service, among others.
He said: “Neither of my parents are musical but I started having lessons in primary school and I just like playing it really. Practice wasn’t really a chore for me, it was fun."
Osman, who is studying Chemistry at St John’s and performed a Schman piano concerto, said: “Piano is definitely my most loved thing in life but I also enjoy academia as well as music. I think both the academic and music worlds go quite well together. Over the last year, I have realized that when you play the piano it’s very intellectual as well as emotional. You always find something new in a piece, it’s the complexities. Even if you play a piece for years, because your mind evolves and you’ve gone through different phases, when you come back to a piece, you notice new pieces about it.”
