Third year music student Michael Stephens-Jones (Selwyn) has been awarded the Fellowship diploma of the Royal College of Organists (FRCO), widely recognised internationally as the most prestigious qualification for organists in the world.
The examination includes a solo organ recital, rigorous keyboard tests, and written papers testing a variety of musical and analytical techniques, as well as covering various historical topics. It is highly unusual for this diploma to be achieved by someone who is still an undergraduate.
In addition, Michael has been awarded a number of prizes, including the Dr F J Read prize, for achieving the highest overall marks across the whole examination, the Coventry Cathedral recital prize, for showing "outstanding ability in the performance of pieces", and the most-coveted of all the RCO prizes, the Limpus, Frederick Shinn, and Durrant Prize for achieving the highest mark in the practical part of the examination.