About this season
BBC Young Musician (Young Musician of the Year) first appeared on our TV screens in 1978. The brainchild of BBC producers Humphrey Burton, Walter Todds and Roy Tipping, the biennial competition has developed an enviable reputation for finding superstar musicians including Nicola Benedetti, Mark Simpson and Sheku Kanneh-Mason.
Episodes (8)
1. Keyboard Final
Aired 4 May 2020 • 58 min
Five young musicians compete in the keyboard final for a place in the BBC Young Musician 2020 semi-final, performing works by Bach, Scarlatti, Beethoven and Rachmaninov.
2. Woodwind Final
Aired 11 May 2020 • 59 min
A flautist, clairinettist, oboist, recorder player and bassoonist complete for a place in the BBC Young Musician 2020 semi-final, performing music by Vivaldi, Tchaikovsky, Messiaen and Peter Facer.
3. Brass Final
Aired 18 May 2020 • 59 min
Two French horn players, two trombonists and a tuba player compete in the brass category final of BBC Young Musician 2020 for a place in the competition's semi-final.
4. Percussion Final
Aired 25 May 2020 • 58 min
Five percussion soloists compete for a place in the BBC Young Musician 2020 semi-final, performing works by John Psathas, Sergei Golovko, Georges Aperghis, Astor Piazzolla and Jago Thornton.
5. Strings Final
Aired 1 June 2020 • 59 min
Three violinists, a cellist and a harpist perform works including music by Debussy, Saint-Saëns and Kreisler to win a place in the BBC Young Musician 2020 semi-final.
6. Jazz Final
Aired 22 November 2020 • 120 min
Saxophonists Alex Clarke and Matt Carmichael, bassist Kielan Sheard, pianist Deschanel Gordon and guitarist Ralph Porrett compete for the title of BBC Young Jazz Musician 2020.
7. Semi-Final
Aired 30 April 2021 • 89 min
The search reaches its penultimate stage as the category winners from the strings, percussion, woodwind, brass and keyboard finals compete for the three places in the grand final.
8. Final
Aired 2 May 2021 • 119 min
Three exceptional musicians compete for the title of BBC Young Musician 2020. Each will perform a concerto with the BBC Philharmonic Orchestra, conducted by Mark Wigglesworth.