Two Doha College students win at Young Musician of Gulf 2022

Two students from Doha College, one of Qatar's oldest international schools, won special prizes in the 'Young Musician of the Gulf (YMOG) 2022' competition online, organised by long-time host St Christopher's School in Bahrain. The winners are Anne McChesney for Bowed String and Amir Alfarhan for Traditional Instrument, after performing against 150 top-class competitors from across the region. Doha College, was represented by 10 students in the competition.

Young violinist Anne is in Year 6 and turned 11 during the event, making her one of the youngest participants of the competition, aimed at students aged 12 to 18. Amir, in Year 11, managed to perfect and record his oud pieces while studying for his mock GCSE examinations. The competition's overall winner was Qatar-based student violinist Tricia Ng. Dr Steffen Sommer, principal of Doha College, shared his elation: "It is a great pleasure to hear of the great success of Anne and Amir at the Young Musician of the Gulf competition. I am exceptionally happy for them to have done so outstandingly in their categories. A huge congratulations to our music department for preparing the students so well. It is great to see that the musicians of Doha College have the opportunity to experience such a competition. Many congratulations to the overall winner, Tricia Ng from Parkhouse English School. It is some feat with the calibre of entrants. For the country of Qatar, this representation by British international schools is an incredible accolade.Steph Gomaa, director of Music at Doha College, said: "A huge well done to all who took part in YMOG 2022. The work was outstanding, even more so since we were on remote learning for a month before submitting our entries. St Christopher's School commented that the level of video recordings was very high, and the hosts were most grateful to Doha College for entering so many students. I am proud that nine of our students made it through to the second round, that four qualified for the semi-final, and that we were awarded two special prizes in the final. Well done to all the musicians involved and the staff who helped pull it together."Doha College has a great tradition in music education, listing many accomplished musicians amongst its alumni. It offers music for GCSEs and A Levels and offers an instrumental music programme with one-to-one tuition, theory, ensemble, and orchestra opportunities.