This annual competition, set up by his wife and daughter in memory of Derek Abrahams, is in its 30th year. Derek, a member of the visiting music team for many years, championed the work of young pianists and music written for the piano. 93 young pianists have participated in the competitive stages of the competition.
There were 52 entries in Class 1 alone. Mr Brooke and members of the music staff presided over the preliminary rounds of the competition and it was clear to see just how strong our pianists are and the standard was as high as ever. It seemed a shame, therefore, that not all could progress to the final stage but every boy should be congratulated on his participation. A further 80+ boys are expected to participate in the Abrahams Elementary Festival when they will play to an audience and receive feedback from Mr Brooke – but there is no competitive element to this part of the Abrahams celebration.
Our adjudicator for the finals was Mr Christopher Dyer, Director of Music at Sevenoaks School. It was a pleasure to welcome Mr Dyer to Dulwich Prep and his wise and fair comments will have given every finalist encouragement and guidance for their development as young pianists. We thank Mr Dyer for making the journey to Dulwich from Kent.
Well done to all our finalists who gave a dazzling display of dexterity at the keyboard; some of the best playing heard in an Abrahams final. Particular congratulations go to Aidan, Mati and Zac for winning their respective classes. Thank you to all our pianists for making this year’s competition so enjoyable. Derek would have been proud of your achievements.
Results
Class 1 Class 2 Class 3 1st Zac Seymour 1st Mati Stendall 1st Aidan Nagpaul 2nd Johnnie Averdieck 2nd Tom Barnett 2nd Jacob Nurse 3rd Leo Chatterjee 3rd David Oteng-Ntim 3rd Oliver Parikian
