Two King William’s College students are celebrating after achieving successes in musical examinations

Cellist Grace Templer, aged 15, attained a Distinction in her ABRSM Royal Schools of Music Grade 8 Performance Exam - the highest recognition achievable in the qualification.

Grace has played classical cello since she was three and since then learned to play the piano, particularly enjoying performing jazz.

Since 2013, Grace is tutored by local string teacher Bernard Osborne, in addition to having masterclasses with the head of strings at the Royal Northern College of Music.

She also plays the electric cello, winning third place at Island talent show, The Next Big Thing 2020, and most recently performing a solo at the Isle of Man Newspapers Community Kindness Awards in the Gaiety Theatre in October.

Due to Covid-19, the requirements for Grace’s exam were not as she had prepared - she had to record and upload four pieces of Grade 8 standard online, with changes to the assessment giving Grace only three weeks to learn a new piece from scratch.

She achieved almost full marks in some of her individual pieces and was complimented by the examiner for her ’fine playing and technical control’.

Seventeen-year-old pupil Stefan Fong, who plays cello and piano, achieved a pass in the ATCL Trinity College Performance Diploma, equivalent to the first year recital of an undergraduate degree.

Performance diplomas are Trinity’s most advanced performance awards, requiring Stefan to prepare a recital programme of contrasting works of about 30 minutes.

He often participates in the school orchestra and choir, and is a regular performer at school concerts .

He most recently performed some of his diploma programme at a concert in Ramsey in the presence of the Lieutenant Governor.