On behalf of St Christopher’s School, Bahrain, may I extend an enthusiastic invitation to all young musicians to take part in the tenth Young Musicians of the Gulf Competition. The event was concceived in 1998 as a “celebration of young musical talent” within the Gulf, following a generous offer by Bahrain International Airport to sponsor such an event. This year they have again donated a solid gold medal for the overall winner. Young Musicians of the Gulf has become a most prestigic ious and high-profile competition and St Christopher’s School is proud to have initiated and to have presented over the years, an event of such magnitude.

This booklet is designed to give you an insight into the competition by revisiting some of the successes of last year’s competition and also to introduce the 2008 event with information and guidelines for would-be entrants.

Whether you are a parent, teacher or student, your support, encouragement and involvement is vital for the continued success of this very special event.

Edward Goodwin
Principal, St Christopher’s School

As would be expected of any event associated with St Christopher’s School, YMOG continues
to evolve and develop towards new levels of excellence in terms of content and opportunities for participants. Over the last few years we have seen the introduction of a Young Musicians Sympphony Orchestra as well as the popular improvisation and composition workshops. Masterclasses and informal concerts further enrich and diversify the range of musical experiences on offer during the week. The most striking aspect of the week is the enthusiasm and creativity generated by these highly talented young musicians.

Last year we introduced a vocal ensemble category, to cater for choirs. This was very successful and added an extra dimension to the event. The competition is now established as a four-day festival and allows greater diversity and opportunities for musical development.
Our experienced panel of adjudicators will bring their own special talents and approaches
to the competition. Two of them return from last year, whilst one is new to the competition, thereby combining fresh approaches with a degree of continuity.

If you are interested in finding out more, you are most welcome to contact me. I hope that after reading this booklet all prospective competitors will feel inspired to take part in the forthcoming Young Musicians of the Gulf. I look forward to meeting you at this splendid event in February 2008.

Alistair Auld
Director, Young Musicians of the Gulf
Head of Music, St Christopher’s Senior School