21 May 2025

Exciting Announcement: The Lark Music-Making Competition is Here!

By Lark Music
Poster for The Lark Music-Making Competition featuring a stylized bird with musical notes on a light blue background.

Lark Music is thrilled to unveil an incredible new opportunity for amateur musicians: the Lark Music-Making Competition!

Inspired by our partnership with the renowned Bournemouth Symphony Orchestra (BSO), this brand-new competition aims to showcase the talent of amateur musicians in the UK , providing an exciting platform for their musical creativity.

What is the Lark Music Making Competition?

Open to amateur musicians aged 18 or above with three age categories; 18-24, 25-40, and 40+, the competition provides a platform for musicians to gain recognition for their talent. Whether they’re from a classical or contemporary music background, the BSO are looking for solo instrumentalists of all genres!

How do musicians enter?

Entrants are invited to submit a live recording—up to three minutes—of an instrumental piece inspired by the enchanting sounds of birdsong. We’re very excited to see what musicians enter!

Maybe we’ll hear the beautiful harmonies of Vaughan Williams’ ‘The Lark Ascending’, the piece that inspired this competition, or interpretations of popular classics like ‘Blackbird’ by The Beatles, ‘Three Little Birds’ by Bob Marley, or  perhaps an instrumental take on Peter Griffin’s rendition of ‘Surfin’ Bird’ by The Trashmen!

What can entrants win?

The winners will each receive a fantastic £1,000 cash prize, along with complimentary access to BSO’s captivating Live Stream Concerts!

A distinguished judging panel will feature Tom Service, known best for his work on BBC Radio 3 and The Guardian. Joining Tom will be Tania Davis from the Electro quartet, Bond, the best-selling string quartet in the history of the music industry, and Chris Caton, a renowned sound engineer and producer who has worked on the Paris fashion shows of the late Alexander McQueen. Jesper Svedberg, Enyo Okpara and Lucy Warren from the BSO, alongside our own stars from Lark Music, Gordana Jevic and Brian Hillstead, will complete the judging panel.

Three adults: a man in a navy sweater, a woman playing violin, and a man in a white shirt, each pictured separately.

Join us to inspire, celebrate and attract the  talent of amateur musicians across the UK! Not only do we want to share this exciting opportunity with you, but we also encourage you to spread the word to the amateur musicians you know! Supporting us couldn’t be easier, simply follow Lark Music on social media and reshare our  posts to help us reach more aspiring artists.

The competition is open from 21st May until the 25th June 2025. For more information and how to enter visit: www.bsolive.com/lark

Man playing guitar with text: The Lark Music-Making Competition, closes 25th June 2025, presented by Bournemouth Symphony Orchestra.