Cash prizes available for talented young musicians

The competition is for solo performers: singers or instrumentalists; any instrument and for any genre of music. There are two cash prizes this year: £700 and £500.

The previous winners include three members of the fantastic Nottingham based Kanneh-Mason family: Konya, Braimah and Isata, as well as 22 talented other young musicians.

The overall winner will be awarded £700 and will be invited to perform at the choir's summer festival concert held on 22 June 2024 at Nottingham's prestigious 700 seat capacity Albert Hall. That will be a fantastic evening as the guest band are The Kinks as performed by top tribute band The Kinx.

To celebrate the 25th anniversary of the competition, this year sees the launch of a second prize: The Constance Shacklock Memorial Prize. This is named in honour of the Sherwood, Nottingham born singer who performed in venues around the world and ended her career as Professor of Singing at the Royal Academy of Music. This £500 cash prize will be awarded to the performer who shows the most potential.

Ian Watts, Carlton MVC's Musical Director said “We are delighted to be able once again to support young talented musicians via our 25th Music Maker competition. With two cash prizes on offer this year, and the ability for the winner to perform at our flagship Festival Concert in mid-summer, we hope this will encourage those eligible to enter the competition and show off their talent.”

Deadline: Entries must be submitted by the end of March. Details via Carlton MVC's website Music Maker