BSN Student Wins COBIS Young Musician of the Year

We are delighted to announce that a student of The British School in The Netherlands (BSN) recently won the COBIS Young Musician of the Year Award in their 2022 Virtual Music Competition. Year 12 Senior School Voorschoten student, Leopold Mauger, came first in the competition with his mesmerising rendition of Baroque Flamenco on the harp. The result was announced at the annual COBIS Conference in May.

Leopold, on his reaction at founding out he had won the competition:

“Mr Jarrett, Musical Performance Director at Senior School Voorschoten (SSV), was the one who initially suggested that I try out for the COBIS Virtual Music Competition. I had actually forgotten about it until my mum got the call. I was very surprised to have won! ​I was revising quietly for my GCSEs in my room, and suddenly my mum was shouting from downstairs that I had won the Young Musician of the Year Award. It was all very hectic and joyful and a bit like a dream, to be honest! It's been one of the highlights of my year.”

FOR MY PIECE, I CHOSE THE BAROQUE FLAMENCO, WHICH IS JUST A REALLY UNEXPECTED PIECE TO PLAY ON THE HARP – EVEN THOUGH IT MAKES THE HARP SOUND SO BEAUTIFUL AND IT FITS SO WELL. A LOT OF PEOPLE THINK OF THE HARP AND THINK OF LA FONTAINE OR TCHAIKOVSKY, BUT THIS PARTICULAR PIECE SHOWS HOW MUCH POTENTIAL THE INSTRUMENT HAS.

Leopold has had a keen interest in music from a young age. “I’ve been playing the harp for around three or four years and piano for around eight. My mum, who played both instruments when she was younger, too, was the one who brought up the idea of playing the harp, so I was very interested in learning. She got two Celtic harps and brought them over to Dubai, where we were living at the time. I think it was a mix of wanting to try something new and my mum introducing this really beautiful instrument to us.”

With his music, Leopold hopes to help break some of the stereotypes about the harp as an instrument: “I’m trying to change the cliché that’s associated with the harp – when people think of the harp, it’s usually a woman playing, with long hair, playing classical, romanticised music. We need to change that and strive for new sounds – new music. For my piece, we were even thinking about playing AC/DC on the harp –to do something fun. It’s always good to bring fresh, new ideas.”

What’s next for Leopold in terms of music?

“I want to do more competitions – to try to experience new things and get used to being in front of an audience. I really enjoy sharing music and my passions with people I don’t necessarily know – it connects us. I also want to work on my composition skills, as music theory is a hobby of mine. I plan on pushing forward with that.”

Music will always be a big part of my life – it’s a way for me to relax, refresh my mind, and stay in touch with different cultures, sounds, and experiences. It will always be in my life in one way or another.

Huge congratulations, Leopold, on this recognition and on the talented musician you’ve become! We can’t wait to see where your music takes you next.