Young musician of the year doesn't make it to European finals in Edinburgh
Tanel-Eiko Novikov failed to get through the semi-finals of the Eurovision Young Musicians 2018 competition (EYM), held in Edinburgh, Scotland, as part of the annual Edinburgh International Festival (EIF).
Percussionist Tanel, 17, booked his place in the semi-finals after winning ERR's Klassikatähed contest in March, despite being the youngest participant, but faced a very strong field in the Scottish capital, coming from a total of 18 nations.
Of these entrants, only six were selected to go through to the final on 23 August, namely Nikola Pajanovič of Slovenia (violin), Hungary's Maté Bencze (saxophone), Ivan Bessonov (piano, from Russia), German entrant Mira Marie Foron (violin), Indi Stivin from the Czech Republic (double bass) and Norwegian Birgitta Elisa Oftestad (cello).
Bright future in music
Tanel-Eiko Novikov, whilst not making it to the final, did gain the attention and affection of the audience through his combination of playing tecnique and artistic flair, according to Heidi Pruuli, head of the Estonian delegation to the competition.
''We're very proud of Tanel and it's a good idea to keep an eye on his future musical endeavours too, because he is a very talented and purposeful young person,'' said Ms. Pruuli.
''The doors to this great world of music are fully open to him, and we will be hearing from him again very soon,'' she added.
The EYM final at Edinburgh's Usher Hall on 23 August, albeit without Tanel, will be covered (in Estonian) by a trifecta of ERR media: Klassikaraadio the ERR online Culture Portal , which also has a host of other information, interviews etc. from Edinburgh, and ETV.
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Editor: Andrew Whyte