12 year old pianist  Anna Graham from The British School Al Khubairat in Abu Dhabi, has been crowned "Young Musician of the Gulf" at the 17th BSME Young Musicians of the Gulf competition hosted by St Christopher's School in Bahrain.

Anna (who is taught by Peter Kalmar) and 17 year old violinist Sara Morris (taught by Philip and Dorette Nolte) beat off stiff competition from 62 other competitors to be amongst 6 finalists in this prestigious competition. Pianist John Kennedy (14), Soprano Alaw Henderson (15) and violinist Damla Ozdemir (14) reached the semi-final along with the BSAK Ensemble "Funky Brass".

The adjudicators described Anna's playing as "hypnotic", "beautifully atmospheric" and "a joy to listen to". Sara's was described as "remarkable" and "very moving".

The British School Al Khubairat have competed at the BSME run event for several years, always returning with prizes, but 2016 has been an extra-special year for their talented musicians and singers. Success like this is testament to the dedication of both students and their teachers over months and years of study. The standard of this competition is incredibly high and our wonderful students proved themselves in every round, with Anna emerging as a popular and deserving winner. I am immensely proud of her and of all my students and colleagues who have played their part in putting together such a strong team!” said Simon Bowler, BSAK’s Head of Creative Arts.

The students are already looking forward to 2017's competition and were planning their repertoire on the plane home!