Percussionist Fang Zhang crowned BBC Young Musician 2020

Harriet Clifford
Sunday, May 2, 2021

The 17-year-old was announced as the winner of the Grand Final in a BBC Four broadcast on Sunday evening.

Fang Zhang has been awarded the prestigious title of BBC Young Musician 2020 after a year-long delay to the competition due to the pandemic.

The percussionist was crowned the winner during the Grand Final, recorded on 25 April and broadcast on BBC Four and BBC Radio 3 on 2 May. In the final round, he performed on the marimba, competing against 18-year-old Annemarie Federle (French horn) and 19-year-old Ewan Millar (oboe).

Born in China’s Henan province, Zhang is a recent student of Chetham’s School of Music in Manchester. His performance of Prism Rhapsody by Japanese composer and marimba innovator Keiko Abe, accompanied by the BBC Philharmonic under Mark Wigglesworth, secured him this year’s title.

Zhang said: ‘I am honoured and delighted to win BBC Young Musician 2020, and feel so lucky considering the talent of the other finalists. The BBC team is amazing and I want to thank them and my schools, Chetham’s School of Music and Qingdao Percussion College, for supporting me through the whole programme in every possible way.’

The Grand Final was presented by Josie d’Arby and Anna Lapwood, and the judging panel was chair by chief executive of Saffron Hall Angela Dixon, also including composer, clarinettist and BBC Young Musician 2006 winner Mark Simpson, composer Errollyn Wallen, principal conductor with the BBC National Orchestra of Wales Ryan Bancroft, and experimental composer and turntable artist Shiva Feshareki.

Dixon said: ‘BBC Young Musician 2020 has been an outstanding competition, the standard has been incredibly high and all three finalists showed exceptional musicianship. Fang chose to perform on a single instrument, the marimba, but elicited a kaleidoscope of colours and expression from it that deeply moved the jury and presenters. It was a privilege to be one of the few people to hear his performance live.’

Previous winners of the competition include cellist Sheku Kanneh-Mason, violinist Nicola Benedetti, and clarinettist Mark Simpson.

The BBC Young Musician 2020 Grand Final is available on iPlayer for 12 months, and BBC Sounds for 30 days.