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16 May 2018
Bedford Girls’ School Upper Sixth student Isobel Stearn has placed second in the prestigious Corpus Prize for Harmony essay competition.
It is part of a series of essay competitions organised by Corpus Christi College, Cambridge and is open to all students in the Lower Sixth across the UK. Isobel was tasked to compose a short movement in the styles of the classical era (i.e. Mozart, Haydn etc) for string quartet, when given a four bar opening.
Isobel, who is Post Grade 8 in violin, commented: “I entered the competition as a way to challenge myself and test my ability to compose in that particular style, and although I was fairly pleased with what I composed, I did not at all expect it to be successful! Although it was a little challenging at times to compose, I am really pleased I entered and very proud of the result.”
Accompanied by Dr Jennifer Walters (Director of Sixth Form), Isobel attended a prize ceremony and lunch at Corpus Christie College on Saturday 5th March. This year, the College received a record number of entries for their subject competitions. Professor of Economics, Andrew Harvey, presented the awards: he congratulated the students on their achievements and emphasized the value of avoiding a narrow focus on subjects.
Dr Walters, said: “It is very exciting that Isobel’s work has won recognition and we are very proud of her. Equally, her motivation in entering the competition was simply to challenge herself to work within conventions less familiar to her musically. Her openness to experiment and contest in the first place is equally deserving of note.”
Bedford Girls’ School and the wider community look forward to watching Isobel’s success over the coming years.
