Just one week after a Hornchurch teenager won the BBC Young Musician of the Year Award, Havering held its own annual ceremony.

Katie Tweddle, 18, of Romford, followed in the footsteps of pianist Martin James Bartlett as she was crowned Young Musician of the Year for the borough.

She won the competition playing “one of the most difficult woodwind instruments,” the bassoon, on her fourth attempt.

“I feel really honoured and so lucky to have won!” she said. “There were a lot of other really good musicians there who could easily have won too.”

Katie has attended Havering Music School in The Walk, Hornchurch, for 10 years and also won the junior title in 2012 playing the recorder.

The bassoon is a double reed instrument which makes it more difficult to learn than some of the other woodwind instruments.

When asked why she chose to play it, she said: “It looked different and interesting, but now I recognise it’s quite an endangered instrument. Also, I love that you can play lots of different types of music with the bassoon – it can be quite comical, sweet, or serious, and can capture lots of characters.”

Katie also plays in the Havering and National Youth Orchestra’s, and having gained a scholarship now plans to continue her bassoon studies at Guildhall School of Music and Drama.

The awards, now in their 34th year, took place at the Salvation Army Halls in High Street, Romford.

Performers from grade six standard and above, and composers up to 19 competed for the prestigious title - with a chosen few then performing in the Finalists’ Concert.

The 2014 awards were judged by Tony Hougham, Principal double bass at the Royal Opera House, and introduced by Gary Griffiths, the Head of Havering Music School. Mayor, Cllr Eric Munday was also present to hand out a number of other awards to the musicians.

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