THREE talented musicians have been crowned the 2020 winners in the final of the fifth annual Bromsgrove Young Musicians’ Platform (BYMP).

In a first for the competition’s history, there were joint winners in the senior section – as Isabella Hulbert, 16, from Droitwich, and oboist Jessica Ellis, 17, from Warwick, shared the accolade.

Sophie Costa, 13, from Leicester, won the junior section at Bromsgrove School's Routh Concert Hall on Sunday, October 25 as the Finalists’ Concert was held in a COVID-secure way.

Each competitor took part in an audition round earlier in February and were then whittled down to just eight finalists by competition adjudicators.

Isabella, a student at RGS Worcester, and Jessica, from Kingsley School in Leamington Spa, beat off fierce competition to take the joint first prize in the senior section for musicians aged 14-17 years.

Junior section winner Sophie, studying at the Junior Royal Birmingham Conservatoire, started playing the harp at just four years old and is the first harpist to win the Young Musicians’ Platform.

All three winners have been granted financial bursaries of £1,000 (senior section) and £750 (junior section) respectively to enable them to further develop their musical talent.

Monica Toso, chairperson of the Bromsgrove Young Musicians’ Platform, said: “After lockdown and the enforced school closures, it has been more important than ever for our young musicians to feel valued, encouraged and able to progress with their musical talent.

"We held the final in a safe and secure way and we were so pleased to see such talent back on our stage."

The Young Musicians’ Platform is open to all musicians who are at school or resident in the United Kingdom. The junior section is for those aged 9-13 and seniors aged 14-17.

Its sister competition, The Bromsgrove International Musicians Competition (BIMC) was cancelled in April due to the coronavirus outbreak but there are plans afoot to launch an online concert series for its 40th anniversary this year.