Through our International Sponsorship Fund we support a wide range of music education projects around the world. In 2019, one of these was the BritchamDR Young Musician of the Caribbean Award (YMoCA). Read on to find out about a recent award winner and about the competition itself.
Meet violinist Yohali Montero from the Dominican Republic, heard here in rehearsal.
Yohali recently won first prize in the senior category of the YMoCA competition. For Yohali, this was a once-in-a-lifetime experience.
“As a young musician in training, having the opportunity to participate in the competition was a tremendous thrill for me. Being the winner in the senior category has opened many doors in my career. As part of my award, I got to participate in the Royal Conservatoire of Scotland’s Strings Summer School, which took place online due to the pandemic. To receive one-to-one lessons from high-level professors and to work with extraordinary young musicians from different countries was such an inspiring and fascinating experience.”
About the YMoCA competition
The YMoCA is a classical music competition for instrumentalists and singers aged 12 to 26 living in the Caribbean islands. It is the first competition of its kind to be held in the Caribbean and attracts talented musicians from around the region.
The two-round event requires each musician to audition by video. Successful applicants then perform before a distinguished panel of musicians during the final. The bi-annual competition is complemented by a series of practical performing workshops for instrumentalists and vocalists which provide training and development opportunities for young musicians.
ABRSM’s involvement began in 2019 when the competition successfully applied for an ISF grant. Since then we’ve become founding members along with the British Chamber of Commerce of the Dominican Republic, Bangor University and the British Embassy in the Dominican Republic. The competition has also received support from the Royal Northern College of Music, the Royal Conservatoire of Scotland and the Ingenium Academy in the form of summer school scholarships for winners.
With its panel of distinguished adjudicators, the YMoCA provides an opportunity to discover the wealth of talent among young people in the Caribbean and is a valuable platform for the rising musical stars of the future.
Could our International Sponsorship Fund support your music education project?
We are now accepting applications for the ISF 2022 and the closing date for applications is 9 November 2021.
Find out more about the International Sponsorship Fund and how to apply.
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