Year 8 Badminton student, Amelia (13), has just been awarded one of the top marks in the country for her Grade 8 violin. Amelia who gained 145 out of a possible 150 marks, a distinction, performed the third movement of Suite Hebraique by Bloch, Concerto in E Major, first movement, by Vivaldi and Legende by Henryk Wieniawski.
Amelia, who lives in Clifton Wood in Bristol, is taught by Prof Richard Crabtree and has been playing the violin since she was seven years old. She practises for at least 1.5 hours every day and is also a pianist, studying for her Grade 7 next summer.
Badminton has an excellent reputation for music and regularly holds music concerts at professional venues around Bristol. Amelia plays in the senior school orchestra and is also a member of the senior school choir. Outside of school she has played in the National Children's Orchestra and is currently a member of the Bristol Ensemble Training Orchestra and the Bristol Schools Philharmonia.
One of Amelia's favourite musical experiences was playing with Language and Music for Life, an organisation which brings together international music students from around the world on residential two-week courses every summer. Amelia has performed internationally in both Le Chambon-Sur-Lignon in France and in Venice and also enjoyed busking both on her own and with the string orchestra, on the streets of Venice for tourists.
Recently, Amelia has also won two trophies for her violin playing in the solo string sections of the Bristol Music Festival and Longwell Green Eisteddfod. She has performed in venues as diverse as the Queen Elizabeth Hall in London, St Georges and The Colston Hall. She also enjoys composition and is hoping to study music at university.
Said Badminton's Director of Music, Matthew Bale: "In the whole of my teaching career, I have never known a student get such a high mark for Grade 8 - it is such an achievement, especially as she took her Grade 8 when she was only 12 years old. Amelia is a stunning violin player and adds tremendously to the musical life of the school. I am extremely pleased with our recent Associated Board music results and the excellent standard achieved is a reflection of the hard work and preparation from our talented pupils and dedicated teaching staff."
