Recorder31 Day 18 | Youth Competition: WIN a Lesson with Tabea Debus

Today’s Recorder31 competition offers a chance for the youngest players in our recorder community to showcase their skills. In this year’s youth competition, we’re welcoming entries from players of any standard aged 18 and under.

We love supporting the next generation of recorder players – whether it’s helping them find their perfect instrument in-store, or through workshops with world-class players at our Recorder Festival. That’s why, this week, our Recorder31 competition is exclusively for young musicians.

All you need to do is submit a video of you playing a solo piece of your choice – if you’re under 16, please ask for an adult’s assistance with submitting your video. So long as it’s just you playing recorder (with no accompaniment), all pieces and all styles are welcome.

It doesn’t matter what level you are on the recorder! We won’t be judging the competition exclusively on skill or technique, and we’ll also be taking into consideration how well you have represented the piece you’ve chosen, and other factors such as musicality, performance and communication.

How to Enter

Entries are welcomed from recorder players of any ability aged 18 and under.

To enter, simply send us your video via email to recorder31@earlymusicshop.com before entries close on Sunday 24 August at 23:59 BST. If you’re under 16, please ask for an adult’s permission and assistance with submitting your video.

The Prize

We’re delighted that highly acclaimed recorder player, and Recorder31 featured artist, Tabea Debus has agreed to give a one-off online lesson to the winner of this competition. The lesson, which will be arranged in consultation with a parent or carer, at a mutually convenient time after the end of Recorder31. The lesson will be delivered online via a video conference software such as Microsoft Teams.

Tabea Debus is a highly-skilled recorder soloist and educator, and her recent seventh solo album folio: Lessons from the Master is this month’s Featured Album at The Early Music Shop. As well as her solo work, Tabea can be seen performing with acclaimed recorder quartet Palisander, as well as guest appearances with La Serenissima and The English Concert. Tabea was appointed recorder professor at the HMTM Hannover in 2024. Passionate about outreach work, she has led masterclasses at the Royal Academy and Royal College of Music, mdw Vienna, Chicago and Cambridge Universities. She has collaborated with Music Masters, Jackdaws Music Education Trust, and the RAM’s Open Academy, bringing music to children from all backgrounds.

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