History of the Young Musicians of Muscat
The Sultanate of Oman has seen dramatic changes and development in almost all spheres of its life, and music in Oman is no exception - the past 20 years has seen a meteoric rise in interest amongst Omani nationals and expatriates alike.
Under the guidance and aegis of His Majesty Sultan Qaboos Al Said, the Royal Oman Symphony Orchestra was formed in the mid 1980’s. Prior to this, western classical music was reserved mainly for expatriates living in the Sultanate; apart from the military bands, Omani Nationals were basically unaware of its existence.
When Phillip Stallwood arrived in 1993 he soon realized the untold possibilities for the furtherance and nurture of music in the Sultanate. The Associated Board of the Royal Schools of Music (ABRSM) has seen such growth in Oman that today it examines more than 1,000 music candidates twice per year – a far cry from the early days when examinations were held once per year for just a handful of candidates.
In late 2002 Phillip was asked to become a Board member of the British School Muscat in order to help plan the celebrations for their 30th Anniversary. For some years Phillip had wanted to form a music competition for all school-aged students, and this was the right opportunity to put the plan into operation. Ably assisted by Dr. John Scarth, then Principal of the British School Muscat and Mr. Graham Gunion, the first Young Musicians of Muscat competition was held at The British School Muscat in April 2003, with the Grand Finale being held at the Intercontinental Hotel Muscat on April 30th, forming the concluding celebrations of the School’s 30th year of foundation.
In 2004 the competition was held again at The British School Muscat, with the Grand Finale hosted in the British School’s main hall.
In order to give the competition independence from any one school it was decided that the competition would be held at different scholastic venues each year. A committee was formed to help in administering the ever-growing number of students taking part in the competition, and in 2005 the classes were held at Talentz Centre LLC with the Grand Finale being held at The Indian School in Al Ghubrah.
In 2006, the Anglo-Omani Society donated a prize in memory of Frederick Monkhouse, a long-term committee member of the society. The ‘Monkhouse Memorial Prize’ is awarded to the most promising Omani musician in the senior category. The prize went to Suha Al-Wahaibi, a 15 year old flautist, in 2006. This year saw the YMM become an international competition, opening its doors to all students living in GCC countries. The competition attracted entrants from the United Arab Emirates and Bahrain, with the total number of entries rising to nearly one hundred. Once again the classes were held at Talentz Centre LLC and the Grand Finale at The American International School of Muscat. For the first time the Junior Young Musician of Muscat title was won by an Omani National.
2007 saw the number of entries top the one hundred mark and a marked increase in both Omani and overseas entrants. We also saw more Arabian instruments and instrumentalists participate in the competition. Classes were held at the newly-opened Talentz Music School in the Al Araimi Centre in Qurm and the Grand Finale was held at the Amercian-British Academy.
The mission statement of the competition is participation – to offer a platform for all students to gain experience and develop their enthusiasm for performance. Long may this philosophy continue.