ESS Pupil Is Ecfest – Concerto Finalist

January 24 2023

Edinburgh Steiner pupil makes the final of the Ecfest Concerto Competition.

Tom Robertson gave a stunning performance of the 1st movement of Rachmaninov’s first concerto at the weekend – a piece he has learnt only very recently, practising hard for the annual Edinburgh Music Competition Festival for amateur musicians.

“There were nearly 30 entries for the competition – held over 2 days – and many of them pupils of St Mary’s Music School and the Royal Conservatoire in Glasgow. Indeed, 2 of the other 3 finalists are RCS piano students, possibly post graduates, one of whom appeared in the final stages of the BBC Young Musician event last year” noted Peter Evans, principal conductor of the Meadows Chamber Orchestra, which uses the School’s hall as rehearsal space. Former ESS pupil, Emma Scott, achieved similar success in 2019.

Tom studies piano with Peter. The recipient of the School’s old piano after the CMIG invested in a grand piano, he performs at school assemblies, the Upper School Orchestra, and most recent Spring Fair, as well as the upcoming Evening for New Parents alongside Sally Tsang (together below) on violin, who plays for both the ESS Orchestra and National Youth Orchestra of Scotland (NYOS) Senior Orchestra.

In recognition of this wonderful achievement so far, the School is supporting Tom in the licence costs of the Rachmaninov orchestral parts, which is in copyright, for the performance in the final round. The final takes place on the weekend between prelim exams, where he will play with a full orchestra.

100 years of performing: The Festival was started in 1920 and has been held every year since then with only two exceptions. Tickets for the final concert including the Concerto Class final on Sunday 12^th March from 7pm in St Cuthbert’s Church, are on sale now: Buy Final Concert tickets online