Congratulation to Wilson Chan of Coundon Court School, Coventry - who has just been awarded the wonderful achievement of runner-up at the 2026 Rotary Young Musician Instrumentalists’ Competition
WILSON WOWS at the Rotary Young Musician of the Year playing Chopin, Scott Joplin, and James P. Johnson.
‘Your enjoyment was almost tangible! Wonderfully executed! There was terrific clarity in your technique. You made those semiquavers sound easy! You have a calm stage presence. You create such an atmosphere when you play. This was brilliant programming! Thank you for sharing this with us, you are incredibly talented, Wilson.’
This was just a selection of comments from the adjudicators at the annual Rotary Young Musician of the Year, held in the Grange Theatre, Hartford in April 2026, in which Wilson Chan (aged 15) from Coundon Court School, Coventry, was a well-deserved runner-up to Anxo Garcia, a pianist from Kent. The winner of the Vocalists’ Competition was Grace Hills from Wellingborough.
Other comments praised Wilson for his excellent precision, great articulation and accuracy (Scott Joplin); and for not being phased by the technical demands. Also: there was such tenderness in your right hand with lovely long phrasing and great balance in the largo and I love the swashbuckling climax (Chopin); you managed to transition so well between the different styles in your programme and there was a wonderful end to your performance and you found your own expression in this with imaginative dynamics (Johnson).
Wilson and his family should be really proud of this award, as are we! It is testament to the dedication that he puts into practice every day and proof that hard work pays off! congratulations to his teacher Kevin Stannard for teaching and supporting him throughout the competition!
The Rotary competition is the chance for young people aged up to 17 to share their gift of song or mastery of a musical instrument in in a Young Musician competition. Participants get the chance to experience performing on a public stage as they showcase their musical talent and receive feedback from experienced adjudicators. They perform in a local heat first before going, if selected onto a district final, a cluster final and then onto the national final on which took place on Saturday 25th April 2026.. Entrants can be either a solo vocalist or solo instrumentalist. Find out more about the young people opportunities with Rotary
You can hear 1 minute of Wilson playing and admire his talent on the Heart of England Music Digital Festival 2026 playlist as well as many more talented young musician!