Hi – I’m Cora, I’m a recorder player and I’m the winner of the Canterbury Festival 2023 Young Musicians’ Bursary competition.  

I began learning the recorder at primary school. I was seven years old, and lucky enough to go to a local school where music was extremely well taught and provisioned. It wasn’t considered a soft skill-subject or relegated to an after school club activity. Music was part of the curriculum and part of the life of my school.

Like many young children, the recorder was the first musical instrument I had the opportunity to play. Lots of children stop playing the recorder in favour of other instruments as they grow older, but I loved it, stuck with it and have discovered what a versatile instrument (or actually, a set of instruments!) it is, and what a hugely varied repertoire of music there is to play.

Fast forward a few years, with lots of practice, music festivals, competitions and concerts – and I found myself in the Canterbury Festival Bursary final in October. I already knew, having also been a finalist in 2022, that the standard of playing and performance in the competition is always extremely high, so just being in the final again was very exciting…and nerve wracking! 

The Canterbury Festival Bursary gives young performers a fantastic opportunity – to perform in competition against other talented musicians who play any instrument you can think of! As a recorder player, I was so pleased to be representing my instrument in the final and really wanted to showcase what the instrument can do.

Thinking back on the final now, what I remember more than anything else is how much I enjoyed myself! The audience was rooting for every performer and, at the end of the evening, the judge’s comments were positive and encouraging for everyone. As a performer, it’s one of my favourite musical experiences so far. To be announced as the winner was a fantastic surprise, and the cherry on the cake!  

I now have a year of exciting opportunities ahead of me, including playing the Vivaldi ‘La Notte’ Concerto with The Canterbury Orchestra in the Colyer-Fergusson Hall at the end of June. But for me, becoming a Canterbury Festival Foundation Arts Ambassador is one of the best things to have come from winning the competition. 

I’ll be representing the Canterbury Festival by going into local primary schools and talking to children about the instrument I love. From my own experience, I know that introducing music to children from a young age is key to them finding a connection with music which they can enjoy as they grow up. It can open the door to learning to read and play music, or simply enjoying and appreciating music as a listener.

The recorder is the perfect instrument for teaching simple tunes to young children which they can play together or by themselves. So, I’m really looking forward to showing that, just like me, anyone can learn to play an instrument and enjoy making music, whilst also developing skills which extend beyond music – listening, sharing experiences with a group, the disciplines of practice and learning, developing self-expression and emotional empathy and, most importantly, having fun!