TOP class tuition and a willingness to travel, paid off for a teenage violinist when she was voted Young Musician of the Year, at the Harrogate Competitive Festival of Music, Speech and Drama.
Sarah Crick, 16, of Knaresborough, a sixth-former at Harrogate's St Aidan's Church of England High School, crosses the Pennines on Saturdays for training at the Northern College of Music, in Manchester.
Three years ago, Sarah, whose mother is a violin teacher, became half of one of the first pairs of contestants in the festival, to be selected for sponsorship. It was thanks to a trust set up in memory of local music lover Audrey Pass.
One of her rivals in the final of the event, 14-year-old Leeds pianist Natasha Starling, had also been on the course. Festival secretary Mary Webster was in no doubt of its benefits to young instrumentalists, when she announced the winners of the sponsorship.
Flautist Emily Hall, 18, of Pateley Bridge, another of the beaten finalists, will go to the University of Hertford, in July, along with viola player Thomas Coats, 17, of Harrogate.
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