An S4 pupil from Preston Lodge High School has been crowned East Lothian Council Young Musician of the Year 2026.
I was really surprised that I won the other night as there were so many other outstanding performances! Everyone else played so well.
16-year old pianist Delta Sym’s flawless rendition of Mozart’s Sonata in A Major K331, 1st Movement impressed the adjudicators in an evening that saw instrumentalists from all seven East Lothian secondary schools perform at St Mary’s Kirk, Haddington, in front of their families and invited guests.
Delta will now represent East Lothian at the Scottish Young Musician of the Year final which will be held at the Royal Conservatoire of Scotland in Glasgow on 24 May 2026.
"Honoured and nervous"
Delta said: “I was really surprised that I won the other night as there were so many other outstanding performances! Everyone else played so well. I would also like to say that the judges were so nice and supportive and gave really good feedback. I am very honoured, and a little nervous, to be representing East Lothian in the final in May!”
Saxophonist Dan Barrett from Musselburgh Grammar School (S4) and North Berwick High School acoustic guitarist Sam Lawrie (S6) were named runners-up for their respective performances of Samba Triste from Three Piece Suite by RR Bennett and Alan Gogol’s Delicious Monster.
Rosehill High School S2 pupil Steinar Christiansen received the Most Promising Musician Award sponsored by Haddington Concert Society for the second year running for his electric guitar performance of Iron Maiden’s The Trooper.
Accomplished Adjudicators
Adjudicators Alasdair Rankin and Christopher Baxter, accomplished Scottish musicians whose careers have seen them tour the world performing in prestigious venues, were given the unenviable task of determining the winners from a tightly contested field. East Lothian Council’s Senior Woodwind Ensemble also appeared on the night performing Henry Mancini’s Moon River.
"Genuine enthusiasm for music"
East Lothian Council’s Depute Chief Executive – Children and Communities Lesley Brown said: “The breadth of musical talent that the young people displayed was inspiring. They gave accomplished performances and spoke eloquently and passionately about the pieces they had chosen, displaying genuine enthusiasm for their music. They were encouraged on the night, and I’m sure in all of their preparations, by family members who were present in the audience. It was a lovely occasion for everyone and I offer my congratulations to all our performers.”
Full programme as follows:
Young Musician of the year Soloist competition
* indicates eligible for the Most Promising Musician Award having won the junior category of their School Young Musician competition.
Dunbar Grammar School
Arlo Treacy - Xylophone: Csárdás - Vittorio Monti
Mia Saunders - Voice: Maybe this time, from Cabaret - J. Kander and F. Ebb
Sebastian Wilczek* - Piano: Liebestraum No. 3 - Franz Liszt
Knox Academy
Gregor Mitchell - Trumpet: The Enchanted Trumpet - Allen Vizzutti
James Gorman - Drum Kit: Funk Junk - Chris Burgess
Robin Mitchell* - Piano: On the Sunny Side of the Street - Jimmy McHugh
Musselburgh Grammar School
Dan Barrett - Alto Saxophone Samba Triste from Three Piece Suite - R.R. Bennett
Sam Devlin* - Piano: Für Elise - Ludwig van Beethoven
Tess Devlin - Trombone: Morceau Symphonique - Alexandre Guilmant
North Berwick High School
Isabel Thompson* - Flute: Pula Pula - Rachel Hayter
Sam Lawrie - Acoustic Guitar: Delicious Monster - Alan Gogoll
Terry Bartsch – E. Guitar: Always With Me, Always With You - Joe Satriani
Preston Lodge High School
Delta Sym - Piano: Sonata in A Major K331,1st Movement - W.A. Mozart
Dylan Mulvey - E. Guitar: Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds - The Beatles
Lewis Miller* - Flugelhorn: Softly Awakes My Heart - Camille Saint-Saёns
Rosehill High School
Mila Grbic - Drum Kit: R U Mine? - Arctic Monkeys
Pablo Santoruvo - Acoustic Guitar: Andante - Ferdinando Carulli
Steinar Christiansen* - E. Guitar: The Trooper - Iron Maiden
Ross High School
Illia Sliusarenko - Flute: Carmen Fantasy - François Borne
Marcel Zak* - Cello: Ave Maria - Johann Sebastian Bach/Charles Gounod
Struan Heavie - Piano: Interstellar - Hans Zimmer
East Lothian Council Senior Woodwind Ensemble Performance
Moon River: Henry Mancini, arr. R Stitzel and J Aspley
