Virtuosic Perse Prep violinist picks up prestigious prizes

Talented violinist Ellie (Year 6) has added several strings to her bow with success at an array of illustrious music competitions.

The Perse Prep pupil received the Terry Winter Owens Trophy after being judged the overall winner at the Cambridge Community Music Festival (CCMF), having already been awarded the Kathleen Freeman Trophy for outstanding musician/highest mark in the concerto class.

As part of the prize, Ellie will join the other CCMF finalists in a concert at West Road Concert Hall in August, as well taking part in a masterclass and having the chance to perform with Ely Sinfonia in November.

Meanwhile, she won the overall Senior Violin Cup competition and the U14 violin/viola class at the Ealing Festival, as well as finishing runner-up in the open-age Challenge String Prize at the North London Music Festival.

Ellie, who has reached Grade 8 on violin, having begun playing in Year 1, said: “I feel quite proud of how I’ve done in these competitions against some very good musicians.”

Among her regular repertoire for these competitions were two key pieces – the first movement of Wieniawski’s Violin Concerto No 2 and Tambourin Chinois by Kreisler.

She said: “I enjoy Wieniawski’s concerto because it starts calmly and then suddenly in some places, it gets fast. It’s very technical and you have to focus very hard, so I practise it for 30 minutes every day.

“Kreisler’s piece is a bit more fun. You have to play lots of it really fast, but the slow parts are mischievous and mysterious.

“I like being able to express the musicality of the pieces and communicate them to the audience, and I really like playing violin because I can just focus on the notes and relax.”

As well as being a gifted violinist, Ellie is a multi-talented musician who has reached Grade 8 on piano, Grade 6 on guitar and Grade 5 as a singer.

She attends the Royal College of Music (RCM) on Saturdays, working on both her violin and piano skills.

Ellie said: “Even though I have to wake up early in the morning, I really like going to the RCM. It’s a lot of fun because as well as doing one-to-one lessons with your teachers, you get to play with the orchestra, sinfonietta and choir.

“One day, I want to to be a solo violinist and play all around the world at places like the Royal Albert Hall.”