This is Haslemere spent yesterday (22nd March 2026) volunteering at The Haslemere International String Competition which took place at The Royal Academy of Music in London. This is an extraordinary annual event which firmly puts Haslemere on the cultural map. We love it as it's a true collaboration with Haslemere Festival, The Waverley Ensemble and the competition's founder, Ishani Bhoola. It would not happen without the dedication of a community of volunteers, supporters and the unwavering drive of Ishani herself with her amazing ability to rope people in. Her motivation is to support and help young people and give them a platform to perform. She told This is Haslemere, "This is my thing. I want to give back and I'm on a mission to help young musicians grow in confidence and improve through performing."

This year's competition had two categories: Under-16s and Under-25s. The youngest performer at the competition was 11 year old Joel Hammar who received a special mention in the Under-16s category. That category had joint winners, Francesca He and Nicholas Feng, with second place going to Nikita Koller and third to Vasilisa Sokolova.

In the Seniors competition, the first prize was awarded to Sofia Demetriades with her varied programme of Bach, Mozart, Szymanowski and Ravel. Sofia receives £3,000 and an opportunity to direct and perform a concerto at the 2027 Haslemere Festival with English Chamber Orchestra. All we can say to our readers is that you are going to truly enjoy hearing and watching this beautiful young violinist. Qingyuan Yang received a special mention.

We asked the judges, Clare Thompson and Ofer Falk, what they were assessing in choosing the competition winners. Clare said, "We are looking for great musicality and technique combined with presence and an ability to engage with the audience."  Ofer added, "There is also this thing that sometimes you hear someone and you just know that they have it. You can spend several hours wondering what it is but, in truth, you just know."

Five pupils in the overall competition are taught by Professor Dr Robin Wilson at either The Yehudi Menuhin School or The Royal Academy of Music and it was very special for This is Haslemere to speak with him. He articulated, "By taking part in this competition, young musicians get great performance experience in front of an audience. This competition is an amazing motivational goal. They get their performances streamed and have the opportunities to have masterclasses following the competition. The Haslemere International String Competition is unique in offering a performance at The Haslemere Festival with the English Chamber Orchestra."  He was keen to add, "It is not necessarily about the prizes and winning though. It's about the process and the experience." He echoed what the judges told us, "The focus is 100% on the music and creating a convincing performance".

After the winner had been announced, Adrian Stent, Artistic Director of Haslemere Festival, said, "Sofia is a remarkable musician and clearly lives her music. Her performance was gripping. We look forward to welcoming her to the 2027 Haslemere Festival where I know she will captivate and enthrall our festival audience."

If you'd like to see all the performances from the competition, they are available here: Haslemere International String Competition (Juniors) and Haslemere International String Competition (Seniors).

There is also a GoFundMe if you feel you could add a few pounds to help support these talented young musicians and the platform that the Haslemere International String Competition gives them.