Teenage violinist Sofia Demetriades wins BBC Young Musician 2026 in historic all‑female final
Sofia Demetriades, an 18‑year‑old from Leicestershire, claimed the BBC Young Musician 2026 title, marking the competition’s first all‑female final.
Historic all‑female final
For the first time in the 48‑year history of the BBC Young Musician competition, the final round consisted entirely of women. The three finalists performed concertos with the BBC National Orchestra of Wales at Bristol Beacon, conducted by Alpesh Chauhan.
Sofia Demetriades’s winning performance
Judges Joanna MacGregor, Ben Gernon and Errollyn Wallen described the 18‑year‑old’s interpretation of Tchaikovsky’s Violin Concerto as “full of insights, poetry and maturity”. MacGregor added that Demetriades performs with her eyes, achieving dizzying technical feats while she looks as if she’s enjoying it.
Other finalists and repertoire
18‑year‑old saxophonist Kezia Colton tackled Takashi Yoshimatsu’s 1994 Cyber Bird Saxophone Concerto, earning praise for “incredible verve and spirit”. 17‑year‑old recorder player Alma Nunez Debretzeni delivered Graham Fitkin’s Recorder Concerto, a piece that demands six different recorders from giant contrabass to tiny sopranino. Wallen noted the “electricity, aliveness, and beautiful intensity” of her performance.
Notable participants and connections
The quarter‑finals, held on Demetriades’s 18th birthday, featured 40 auditionees selected from several hundred video applications. Among them was 14‑year‑old accordionist Sylvester Maschi, the first accordion player to reach the competition’s later stages. 2022 overall winner percussionist Jordan Ashman joined Colton onstage for Yoshimatsu’s concerto.
Prizes and future support
The champion receives the trophy, a £3,000 cash award toward music studies, and recording and broadcast slots on Radio 3, potentially with a BBC ensemble. All three finalists will be managed by the Young Classical Artists Trust to develop their careers.
Winner’s reaction
Demetriades said she was “honoured and thrilled” to be part of the competition, recalling the joy of performing the quarter‑final on her birthday and describing the victory as “my absolute dream”. She expressed hope to return to the stage with BBC NOW, Chauhan and her fellow finalists.
