The Annual Soloist Competition is a musical showcase demonstrating the high calibre of musicians in Royal Air Force Music Services.
This year at 1pm on the 9th October, the competition will be held in public for only the second time in its history, at the Regent Hall Salvation Army on Oxford Street, London - free entry! The Band of the RAF Regiment, conducted by Wing Commander Murray Principal Director of Music (RAF), will accompany one musician from each of the four bands, competing for the coveted RAF Charitable Trust Soloist Award. Having already won their ‘heat’ adjudicated by the respective Directors of Music, Bandmasters and instrumental specialists from within their band, the stakes are high and it’s always a tough decision for the adjudicators on the day. The 2023 Soloist Competition was such a close call that after much deliberation, Air Specialist Class 1 (AS1)’s Rimmer (Oboe) and Griffiths (Alto Saxophone), were announced joint winners.
In addition to the solo performances, the audience can expect to hear winning compositions by RAF Musicians during this year's Training and Development Course. The three categories in this part of the competition are best fanfare, best march and best original composition.
One such piece being premiéred as part of this year's concert has been composed by AS1 DeVivo. The brief for this piece was to compose something that represents all elements within the Global Enablement (GE) organisation. As part of No.2 Group, GE commands Air Combat Support and Air Combat Service Support Units which conduct and enable Air & Space Power operations. Inspired by the Signals Unit, AS1 DeVivo adapted the Morse Code signal for ‘RAF’ and used this as a recurring theme throughout the composition.
Adjudicating this year are Dr Stuart Morley, current MD for Les Misérables at the Sondheim Theatre and Thomas Hewitt-Jones, acclaimed composer and music producer.
“I am proud of the training opportunities we offer to our personnel, not just in terms of their musical performance but also in the other related areas such as social media production, audio recording, filming, and of course composition. These additional skills help prepare our personnel for their role as RAF Musicians and provide them with new skills, confidence and opportunities both within our organisation and for their future.
"I have no doubt this concert will be an excellent demonstration of the professionalism of RAF Music.”
Wing Commander Murray
Principal Director of Music (RAF)
Just to reiterate - this concert is free! We hope to see you there.
