A FINAL call has been made to Wales’ finest young musicians to enter a prestigious new competition.

The Pendine Young Musician of Wales competition is being launched at the North Wales International Music Festival, that’s being held at St Asaph Cathedral between September 12 and 21.

It’s being funded by the festival’s headline sponsors, the Pendine Park care organisation, via the Pendine Arts and Community Trust, which supports community and arts activities.

The performances during the final will be broadcast on BBC Radio Cymru and the winner will receive a cash prize of £2,000 and the Pendine Trophy, as well as being invited back to perform at next year’s festival.

The contest is being masterminded by the event’s new artistic director, royal composer Paul Mealor, who is following in the footsteps of his mentor and fellow royal composer, William Mathias, who founded the festival.

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Professor Mealor said: “I am very excited about my first festival. I grew up here in St Asaph and I sang in the cathedral choir and my first experience of high quality classical music was here at the festival.

“Another exciting development is the inaugural Pendine Young Musician of Wales competition which is open to anyone who is born, living here or studying here to come and perform at the Cathedral which has one of the best acoustics in Wales.

“The competition will be judged by four of the top musicians around the world – we have Alun Jones, singer and the former principal of Chetham’s School of Music; Alis Huws, the former harpist to the Prince of Wales; world renowned concert pianist, Cyrill Ibrahim while the chair is Lisa Tregale, the Director of the BBC National Orchestra and Chorus of Wales.

“This can be a launching pad for a fledgling career because you’re performing to top class people.”

Entries are being accepted via the festival’s website, www.nwimf.com, and the deadline has been extended until 5pm on Friday, September 6.

The Grand Final will be at St Asaph Cathedral on Wednesday, September 18, at 7pm.

Professor Mealor added: “There’s a prize of £2,000 and the beautiful Pendine Trophy, an engraved silver salver which has been gifted to us by Mario and Gill Kreft.

“They are two of the most important benefactors to the arts in North Wales, if not the whole of Wales. They have not just supported the festival financially but also spiritually.

“Mario and Gill are genuinely passionate about the arts and it’s important to Wales to have people like them. They have done a huge amount for the festival before I came and we hope they will carry on.”