Former pupil, Toby Hession, has been awarded a major music prize during his studies at Chetham's Music School in Manchester following his distinction at Grade 8 in the ABRSM examination this year.

The Sheila Mossman Memorial Prize is awarded to ABRSM candidates who achieve the highest marks in practical exams at grades 6, 7 and 8.  The £200 award is endowed by the friends and former pupils of Miss Sheila Mossman, who died in 1971, having committed her life to music and was an ABRSM examiner for five years.  Toby scored 146 out of 150 at his Grade 8 Piano ABRSM examinations, which is the highest score in the UK in the last year.

Toby said:  “It was pretty amazing to find out that I had won the award and completely unexpected.  It was announced in Monday morning assembly, which I was unfortunately absent from, so I only found out in my Maths lesson later on when a fellow pupil walked in and said ‘by the way, well done on winning £200!’  I didn’t know the ABRSM paid such high value prizes.”

For his exam, Toby played Clara Schumann’s Prelude and Fugue in B flat major, John Field’s Piano Sonata No. 1, Op. 1, and a transcription of King for a Day by jazz legend Dave Brubeck.

Headmaster, Adrian Meadows, was delighted to hear of Toby's success:  "Toby was always a highly talented musician and chorister and, from his start in the Prep Department here, I am extremely pleased to hear that he is going from strength to strength at Chetham's".