BACK TO NEWSLETTER 2002 CONTENTS
Guardian / BBC Proms Young Composer of the Year Award 2002
The youngest winner produced perhaps the most astonishing feat. Oscar Perks,
now 12, was 11 when he wrote The Twin Towers for string quartet, a piece
inspired by September 11. It shows remarkable technical accomplishment
melodically, harmonically, rhythmically and in its string writing. Oscar has
been composing for two of the four years he has been a pupil at the Yehudi
Menuhin school in Cobham, Surrey, where his main instrument is the violin.
"Bartok had a lot of influence on this piece. I went to a concert where his
six string quartets were played. I really like Bartok."
from The Guardian, Tuesday July 2nd 2002
Proud parents, Karren Ripper (76 - 80) and William Perks (75 - 80), Henry Perks (73 - 78), Martin Herring (75 - 80) and Nick Zelle (55 - 61) were at the Wigmore Hall with many others on July 11th to hear this "astonishing" work. Since then it has been performed at a mid-day Prom at the V&A, on the Stephanie Hughes Sunday morning Live on Radio 3, at the end of BBC 1's Breakfast Time TV programme on September 11th and there is to be another broadcast soon. Sadly, none of the BBC broadcasts included the meditative second movement as the full work was too long for the competition regulations. An amazing achievement for any composer, let alone a twelve year old!