William Dutton – BBC Young Musician String Final winner – has won £1000 and a place in the BBC Young Musician 2014 semi-final. A former BBC Radio 2 Chorister of the Year, William Dutton’s performance of Bloch’s Baal Shem, Nigun was stunning.

The sometimes flabby 88 minute programme featured five competitors, overly dramatic incidental music and quite a lot of unnecessary filler. I’d like to get more of an understanding on how the judges are assessing performances. What are they looking for? What are the competitors hoping for? And why is the music they’re playing the best way to assess their ability? Read more →