As one of the world’s largest manufacturers of musical instruments, Yamaha believes passionately in musical education and is committed to its growth and preservation. The Yamaha Music Europe Foundation (YMEF) scholarship programme is designed to support music students as they pursue their studies and journey towards a professional performance career.

Founded in 1989, the Yamaha Music Europe Foundation is a European organisation dedicated to supporting talented young musicians under the age of 25 with the costs of musical education at conservatoire and university level. Since its inception, the foundation has awarded well over €1 million in scholarships to more than 1000 outstanding musicians across Europe.

The competition takes place annually in 32 countries across Europe and changes discipline each year, with the focus in 2024 being piano. In the UK, the finals were held at the Royal Northern College of Music, with nine competitors from up and down the country travelling to compete on Yamaha’s flagship concert grand piano, the CFX, in front of the prestigious judging panel – Susan Bettaney, Ian Jones and chair Graham Scott.

Each finalist performed a 30-minute programme of their choosing, showing incredible talent, passion and pianism in the stunning acoustics of the RNCM Concert Hall. The panel named three winners – Yuxuan Zhao, Mario Bobotsov and Berniya Hamie – each of whom receives a scholarship to put towards their studies, helping to support them as they pursue their careers and begin crafting their artistic identity.

The competition provides invaluable experience for professional development for all who participate. ‘This is a very professional competition. It’s good to play in these pressure situations. You learn a lot from that,’ say Yuxuan and Berniya. The competition also offers a platform for students to prepare for future competitions and performances. ‘You get to perform in a wonderful acoustic, find out what that feels like and test out the repertoire that you’re working on and find new colours,’ says finalist Dominika Mak. ‘I think the Yamaha piano is so amazing … The sound … how it feels … I accumulated a lot by attending this activity,’ says Yuxuan.

‘We are delighted to hold this year’s YMEF finals at the RNCM, one of the UK’s leading music colleges,’ says James Sargeant, Institutional Business Manager at Yamaha Music Europe. ‘As always, the standard of playing and level of professionalism shown by each candidate has been incredibly high,’ he continues. ‘Inspirational performances such as these also depend on inspirational teaching, and our warmest congratulations go out to those tutors who help these young people prepare for occasions like YMEF.’

Yamaha is committed to empowering people to make waves with their sound and music. ‘It is a privilege to play a part in supporting these young musicians’ journeys,’ says James. ‘We are so excited to see what the future holds for all our finalists.’

To find out more about the Yamaha Music Europe Foundation visit uk.yamaha.com/en/education