PACE, dynamics and mood were all vital components in the entries for the Young Composers’ Festival.

Stormy Seas, written and performed on piano by Churcher’s College pupil Shoshana Yugin-Power, was the expressive winner in the under-14s class.

The score of the talented nine-year-old was “beautifully clear” said composer Roxanna Panufnik, new to the adjudicating panel this year in the biennial competition, held at The Petersfield School.

It was a heart-warming start to the Petersfield Musical Festival season, with the audience and adjudicators – professional musicians Jonathan Willcocks and Philip Young as well as Roxanna – wowed by the compositions. The winner in the ‘19 and under’ class entered the most complete score the judges had ever seen. It came from Joel Knee, with his piece See You Soon, for big band jazz. He conducted musicians who gave it their all.

Other competitors in the event, supported by the Michael Hurd Memorial Fund, which aims to encourage young musicians, included Tiger Braun-White who had written for a string trio, and Bethany Magennis-Prior, who played and sang at the piano.

The winner of each received a cheque, and invaluable tips and advice.