Eighteen-year-old violinist Sofia Demetriades has won the BBC Young Musician competition 2026, marking the first all-female final in the competition's 48-year history. The judges, Joanna MacGregor, Ben Gernon and Errollyn Wallen, praised her performance of Tchaikovsky's Violin Concerto as full of insights, poetry and maturity.
A Historic Final
Demetriades, from Leicestershire, is in her first year of undergraduate studies at the Royal Academy of Music. She was one of several hundred musicians to submit a video application, with 40 young players selected for live auditions at Bath Spa University. From those, eight earned places in the quarter-finals, which took place on Demetriades' 18th birthday. Among her fellow quarter-finalists was 14-year-old Sylvester Maschi, the first accordion player to reach the final stages.
The competition, created by Humphrey Burton, was established in 1978 and has produced finalists such as Sheku Kanneh-Mason, Alison Balsom, Stephen Hough and Nicola Benedetti, who was the last violinist to win in 2004.
Final Performances
Each of the three finalists performed a concerto with the BBC National Orchestra of Wales, conducted by Alpesh Chauhan at Bristol Beacon. Saxophonist Kezia Colton, 18, played Takashi Yoshimatsu's 1994 Cyber Bird Saxophone Concerto, while 17-year-old recorder player Alma Nunez Debretzeni performed Graham Fitkin's Recorder Concerto.
Fitkin's concerto involves six different recorders, from the giant contrabass, about 1.6 metres high, to the tiniest sopranino. It was commissioned by Debretzeni's teacher, Barbara Law, and premiered in 2017 by 2014's Young Musician finalist Sophie Westbrooke. This year's final also connected to previous competitions, with 2022's overall winner, percussionist Jordan Ashman, joining Colton onstage for Yoshimatsu's concerto.
Judges' Praise
Wallen said of Colton, "Kezia plays with incredible verve and spirit." Gernon added, "Her performance was sassy and cool, but her more intimate playing is incredibly strong too." The judges also hailed the "electricity, aliveness, and beautiful intensity" Debretzeni brought to Fitkin's concerto. "She took us on a musical journey … we were inside every note," said Wallen.
Debretzeni said, "Before the competition I hadn't planned on being a musician. I wanted to study psychology … but this has been so inspiring it's made me want to pursue music. It's been literally life-changing."
MacGregor acclaimed Demetriades as a simply extraordinary musician. "She performs with her eyes, achieving dizzying technical feats but she looks as if she's enjoying it," she said. "Sofia's innate sense of colour, musical style and architecture combines with an effortless technique, and a joy for whatever music she's playing. In a competition full of gifted and dedicated young musicians, Sofia's sensitivity and sophistication stood out in every round. I'm very excited to watch her musicianship develop even further in the years ahead."
Prize and Next Steps
The winner receives the trophy, a cash prize of £3,000 towards music studies, and recording and broadcast opportunities on Radio 3, including with one of the BBC ensembles. All three finalists will work with the Young Classical Artists Trust on managing their future careers.
Demetriades said, "I am so honoured and thrilled to have been a part of BBC Young Musician. I loved playing in the quarter-final on my 18th birthday. I didn't think I could top that, but to go on to be crowned winner is my absolute dream! It was pure delight to share the stage with BBC NOW, Alpesh Chauhan and my fellow finalists – I really hope to play alongside them again soon." The final and the three previous stages are available to watch on BBC iPlayer.
