A MUSIC prodigy took a step forward towards realising his ambition of becoming a concert pianist after scooping a prize at a prestigious festival.

Ellis Thomas, 20, from Penrhyn Bay, near Llandudno, was the joint winner of the accompanist category at the Wales International Piano Festival at Galeri in Caernarfon.

He shared the top honours with Edward Leung, 27, the accompanist in residence at Westminster School, London.

The prize was donated by former music teachers and the R. Davy Jones Trust, with Ellis and Edward getting £1,050 each.

For Ellis, it was the second time he had taken part in the festival, having first played at the event in 2016 when he was just 15 years old.

This time, he scored a double success, because he was also placed second in the senior competition category.

The festival, which is held every four years, was organised by Canolfan Gerdd William Mathias (William Mathias Music Centre) which is headquartered in Caernarfon and has satellite bases in Denbigh and Ruthin.

It showcases concerts by professional musicians, masterclasses and education outreach projects as well as hosting prestigious piano competitions, with prizes this year totalling nearly £10,000.

This year, the festival took on a hybrid format, with the evening concerts pre-recorded and streamed online, while competitions and other events taking place live at Galeri.

It originally due to be staged in May 2020 to mark the year of the 250th anniversary of Beethoven’s birth in December 1770.

But due to the effects of COVID-19 pandemic lockdowns and concert venue closures worldwide, it had to be postponed again in October last year and again in May.

Despite the setbacks, the 2021 festival attracted a full complement of competition entrants.

There were 16 competitors in each of three categories for junior solo pianists, senior solo pianists, and accompanists.

After the lockdown period and having to play in front of microphones and cameras, Ellis said it was great to play in front of a live audience.

He said: "It was also nice to be able to play somewhere so close to home. My parents and my grandparents were able to attend and there were many people I knew in the audience.

"The setting of pieces for the accompanist category gave me the opportunity to play pieces I might not have otherwise played, and accompanying is a different skill to playing solo. The pianist must be more sensitive to the playing or singing of the other person.”

Ellis has been playing the piano since the age of six and is currently a student at Cambridge University.

He hopes to continue his musical studies after graduation and is applying to music colleges and would like to become a concert pianist in future.

Iwan Llewelyn-Jones, the festival’s artistic director, said the standard of competition was ‘tremendously high’ and congratulated all the pianists who took part.

He said: "We had a good number of competitors from all over the UK and beyond.

"The standard of playing was tremendously high. Everyone had prepared meticulously and were very confident in the final stages.

"Several made strenuous efforts to attend despite the various COVID-19 restrictions.

“I'm so glad we were finally able to stage the festival. It is earning itself a niche all its own in the musical calendar and we hope to build on this.

"We took the decision to stage it in a hybrid fashion with pre-recorded concerts being streamed online and it worked well.

"I'll be sitting down with other officials in the next few weeks and begin to plan the next festival. I already have some ideas in mind.”

But before then, Iwan hopes to bring back this year's winners for a special concert once all restrictions have eased in order to give them and the audience the opportunity to enjoy their music.

The virtual concerts can still be viewed via the website at: www.pianofestival.co.uk.