We are delighted to share that our 2023 Young Musicians’ Bursary Award Winner Cora Hewitt, was recently awarded the Recorder Golden Medal at Hastings Musical Festival – which is the most senior medal class and open to professional players. Cora received a mark of 95 which the adjudicator, Roy Robinson, had never before awarded in any British or International Festival Federation event he has judged.

Cora then went on to win the Hastings Young Instrumentalist of the Year competition later in the week, competing against other Gold Medal winners from the piano, woodwind and strings groups. The competition was very close with some very accomplished playing, so Cora was thrilled to win it.

As well as attending competitions, Cora has been busy making primary school visits with her instrumental tutor and the Whitstable Recorder Ensemble.

They visited Pilgrims Way Primary School in Canterbury, playing a variety of ensemble pieces and showing the children all the different sizes of recorder from garklein to great bass. Cora also performed ‘Music for a Bird’ so that the children could hear the unusual sounds that the instrument can make. Some of the children also had the opportunity to try to recreate some of these sounds themselves, either with their own recorders or on plastic recorders provided.