An organist from King Edward’s Witley has been offered a scholarship place at the Royal Academy of Music in London.
Josef Gaszka, 18, only started to learn the organ when he joined the school four years ago.
He will take up his place on the four-year course after completing his A-levels and will follow in the footsteps of many musicians who have studied at the Academy, including Sir Simon Rattle and Sir Elton John and Dame Evelyn Glennie.
Since his interview at the Academy in early December, Josef’s achievements on the keyboard have continued to amass. Following the audition, he took the Associate of Royal Schools Music Diploma and passed with a distinction, scoring 49/50. After Christmas, he competed in The London Organ Competition winning the second prize and along with it with the opportunity to give a number of recitals across the nation, as well as automatic entry into the Northern Ireland International Competition in 2020.
Josef commented: “I am really excited to be going to the Royal Academy of Music in London and making the most of all the opportunities that will be available to me there.”
Stasio Sliwka, director of music at King Edward’s, commented: “This represents a wonderful achievement for a young man, whose commitment and hard work has been rightly rewarded. Josef is also a talented pianist, who after just two years of lessons, is already working towards his Grade 8 exam. We are extremely proud of him and look forward to following his success in the future.”