University News Last updated 25 November 2021
Second-year vocal student Justin Jacobs has won the Norma Procter Song Prize in the annual Kathleen Ferrier Bursary Competition, which took place on Sunday 21 November. His rendition of the Frank Bridge’s classic, ‘E'en as a lovely flower’ came first against 15 student competitors from conservatoires across the UK.
The prize is awarded for the best individual performance of a song across the Kathleen Ferrier Bursary Competition. Due to the pandemic, Justin was required to record his pieces in advance, and they were streamed via Zoom for the judges. This is the second consecutive year that the competition has taken place online as a result of Covid-19.
Justin was one of two students representing RBC at the competition; the second being second-year vocal student Katerina Piperakis.
Justin said: “E’en as a Lovely Flower is a song that is simple, yet so complex. It's a song that showcases many different colours and emotional outputs of the voice within such a short amount of time. I figured that if I could ace this piece, it would make me come across as a singer who is comfortable at any register, regardless of the dynamic.
“The fact that I was lucky enough to represent RBC was just amazing. Of course, I was a little anxious, as anyone competing would be, but for me winning wasn't nearly as important as the feedback and experience that I had gained just from taking part.
“I plan to take this award and hope that the experience that I have gained while working towards it will help to launch me into greater things in the near future,” he added.