Four Aberdeen students will battle for supremacy as they compete for a highly prestigious music award.
Talented musicians studying at the University of Aberdeen will contend for the inaugural Ogston Music Prize at an event held on Thursday 17th April at the city's Cowdray Hall.
The award has been created by Professor Ogston CBE LLD FRSE. Professor Ogston is a former Senior Vice-Principal of the University of Aberdeen.
Open to students from throughout the University, the prize recognises outstanding musical performance. The winning competitor will be awarded a £1000 cash prize.
Showcasing the array of exceptional musical talent from the Aberdeen area, the finalists taking part in the competition are Richard Bailey, Aurélie Farcette, Dean Bromage and Petra Paskova.
The event, which is open to the public, will also feature a short recital by Richard Kidd who was awarded the celebrated University Musician of the Year award last year.
Richard is recognised as one of the leading Euphonium players in Europe. His skill and command of the unique brass instrument has won him a host of accolades including BBC Radio 2's Young Brass Soloist of the Year, and the James MacMillan medal at the Scottish Brass Band Championships.
Dr Paul Mealor, Senior Lecturer in Music at the University of Aberdeen says: "The Ogston Prize is a real opportunity for musically gifted students to compete at the highest level. We have four fantastic finalists and anticipate that this year will be a hotly contested competition, with an array of exceptional performances. We are indebted to Professor Ogston for setting up this prestigious prize."
Finalist Richard Bailey is studying for a degree in Music at the University. An accomplished pianist, his performance will comprise of pieces using three keyboard "giants" from three different periods in musical history.
Flutist Aurélie Farcette is originally from Reims in France. She is an exchange student from the University of Jules Verne in Amiens where she is studying English. Aurélie will play a fantasy on the famous opera from G. Bizet as her performance piece.
Talented trumpet player Dean Bromage has been a member of the National Youth Brass Band of Scotland for seven years and is Principal Trumpet of the University Orchestra as well as the Aberdeen City Youth Band. Dean is currently studying for a degree in Music Education at the University.
Gifted pianist Petra Paskova has studied her instrument alongside many distinguished musicians from within the field including Magda Stajnochrova and Florian Uhlig. Having graduated from Music Conservatoire in the Czech Republic, Petra is continuing her studies at the University of Aberdeen where she is in the third year of a studying for a Bachelor of Music degree.
The Ogston Music Prize takes place on Thursday 17th April, 7.45pm at Cowdray Hall. Tickets for the event are available from the Aberdeen Box Office on (01224) 641122 or www.boxofficeaberdeen.com.