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An eight-year-old schoolboy from Portadown who performed at the regional heat of Translink's Grand Pianist 2025 at Newry Bus Station has been crowned the winner of the Under 16 category of the competition after impressing judges with a dramatic performance at the final at Belfast's Grand Central Station.
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Jacob Purdy beat off competition from pianists across Northern Ireland at the final. He has been learning piano for just two years under the guidance of Portadown based teacher Holly Marshall, and his dramatic and expressive piece at the final earned high praise from the judging panel. He described his win as "amazing" and said: "I can't believe I'm a winner of Translink's Grand Pianist 2025 competition."
County Armagh had a strong showing at the final, with Jacob's best friend Levi Thompson, also from Portadown and a fellow pupil of Holly Marshall, receiving a "very highly commended" accolade in the Under 16 category.
The event saw 14 shortlisted pianists, aged between seven and 82, perform on a baby grand piano set in the centre of the busy Belfast Grand Central Station. In the adult category, 82-year-old retired engineer Denis Hession from Carrickfergus took the overall title with his rendition of Carrickfergus.
The judging panel was led by Matthew Owens, Music Director of the Ulster Consort, alongside Translink's Linda Neilan and special guest judge Nicholas McCarthy, the world's only professional one-handed concert pianist. Nicholas, who opened the event with a solo performance, said: "It's been a joy to see the passion, creativity and individuality each pianist brought to their performance. The finalists truly captured the spirit of connection through music."
Translink Group Chief Executive, Chris Conway, said the final was a fitting end to a regional roadshow that had connected people in stations across Northern Ireland. He said: "Our award-winning Grand Pianist competition clearly created memorable moments of connection for people and shows how our rail and bus stations are at the heart of local communities. The excellent in-station performances sparked surprise and delight from many passengers passing through"
