Matthew Brown named Young Drummer of the Year

Matthew Brown, a 16-year-old drummer from Hackney, London, is UK's Young Drummer of the Year 2013. He won the grand final yesterday, Sunday 3rd February.

Held at Leamington Spa's Royal Spa Centre, the drum event saw Matthew and nine other finalists (whittled down from 400 entries) perform in front of a panel of star judges which included Richard Jupp, Robin Guy, Ash Soan and Donavan Hepburn.

All finalists had to perform a solo piece and two other pieces with a band. It was a hard-fought battle, but in the end Matthew was named the winner.

The other finalists of Young Drummer of the Year 2013 included:
Sien Gwilym Roberts from Wales

• Paul Youngs from Lowestoft 
• Callum Edwards from Ayrshire 
• Euan Leslie from Dumfries 
• Nick Georgiou from Glasgow 
• Peter Rayner from Chelmsford 
• Oscar Ogden from Lancashire 
• Nathan Greene from Birmingham 
• Nathan Wallington from Dorset

The annual Young Drummer of the Year competition, organised by Mike Dolbear, is sponsored by Mapex, Paiste and Vic Firth.

Watch one of Matthew's entry videos here: