TrinityTalent | Class of 2021 | Trinity Selection Panel

TrinityTalent celebrates young artists who have developed their practice through Trinity College London qualifications in 2021. Meet the Class of 2021. An open nominations process invited teachers, peers, friends and family to propose young people taking Trinity qualifications who had shown excellence in Creative Flair, Leadership or Progress. 

The TrinityTalent panel were impressed by the quality of the nominations received, with young people demonstrating a wide range of artistic and personal development across music, drama and Arts Award, with every nomination being well deserved. 

Once again, we invited a small group of young people who had been nominated for TrinityTalent previously, to take the role of a youth panel and choose their Youth Choice. A ‘Youth Choice’ was chosen from each subject: Arts Award, Classical & Jazz, Drama and Rock & Pop, based on a range of achievements, experiences and personal progression. The Youth Choice panel were impressed by the quality of nominations received which showed a wide breadth of skills and personal development. Read more about the Youth Choice panel here.

TrinityTalent is a fantastic opportunity to celebrate the personal and artistic achievements of young people who have taken a Trinity College London qualification. Hearing their stories, the fantastic opportunities they have taken part in, and for some, how they have shown the courage to achieve their qualification despite personal challenges, is truly inspiring. Catherine Sercombe, Head of Arts Award at Trinity

Meet the TrinityTalent Panel 

Find out who they are, what they do and read the advice they have for young creatives and young people taking a Trinity qualification


Becky Thompson

Arts Award & BAS9 Learning Programme Lead, Arts Connect

A woman taking a selfie with short bright platinum hair taken outside infront of a brick building

"Give yourself time to prepare for your exam beforehand to reduce the stress on the day. I always find preparing, revising and practicing in little chunks in the weeks leading up to an exam makes the whole experience less scary. It also gives me chance to still do the things I enjoy around exam time which helps maintain my mental wellbeing."

Cathy Thornhill

Marketing Manager, UK & Ireland (Arts Award & Drama), Trinity College London 

A woman with medium length brunette hair and a wide smile, the photograph is taken in black and white.

"My advice to young creatives is ‘follow your passions and don’t be deterred’. A worry for some young people is ‘will pursuing the arts be relevant for my future’. Don’t forget that there are a wide range of work options in the creative industries, and many more jobs that value skills that are honed by studying the expressive arts."

Nicola King

Sector Support Manager (Schools), Trinity College London

A woman wearing a red plaid shirt, with brunette hair, looking over her right shoulder looking dirctly at the camera. The background is a river with a grass field, and green trees in the background.

"When selecting pieces to perform for your exam look for pieces that genuinely interest and excite you. Your enthusiasm for the piece will come through in your performance and your discussions with the examiner. You will also have to practise the piece many times, and this will be more fun if it is a piece you really like!"

Cat Sercombe

Head of Performance, Trinity College London

A black and white selfie photograph, a brunette woman with a black t-shirt and a necklace. The woman is wearing a dark red lipstick with a white door in the background.

"Do what you enjoy, participating in any form should inspire you to get under the skin of it and develop your interest and skills.  Working towards a qualification gives you the opportunity to explore your creativity in new ways, gives you confidence to take creative risks and opens the doors to areas of your art form that may be new to you.  Whether you’re a budding artist or prefer to work behind the scenes Trinity qualifications provide with a range of pathways no matter what your interest or starting point. We are always excited to see the journey  young people take both artistically and personally."

John Molloy

Marketing Manager, UK & Ireland (Music), Trinity College London 

A selfie photograph of a man with dark hair and blue shirt, taken infront of a white door.

"If I had any advice to offer a young person taking a Trinity music exam I think it would be to embrace the opportunity to personalise the experience. Make it meaningful to you so you can demonstrate your unique skill and passion. Take the opportunity to play a self-composed piece perhaps, choose pieces or songs that really showcase your strengths. If you focus on being happy and comfortable with your performance, your skill and passion will shine through for the examiner to see."

Toby Davies

National Development Manager (Rock and Pop), Trinity College London

A man smiling wide wearing a grey blazer, a silver necklace, navy collared black t-shirt. The man also has multiple earings and the image is taken infront of a white background.

"Be yourself, be relaxed and although this may sound strange, try to enjoy your experience, treat as it as any other performance."

Amy Lee

Sector Support Manager (Arts and Youth), Trinity College London

A woman with bleached blonde hair, is wearing a bright red blazer and red lipstick. The photo is taken infront of a white background and the woman is smiliing.

"Be yourself and find your own unique voice. Trust in your preparations and enjoy the experience!"

Duncan Lee

Managing Director, XYZ Music Academy LTD

A man wearing a black t-shirt is playing on a drumkit, with a black background.

"Make the most of your younger years when you are rich in time to invest into your future as a musician. Above all, make sure you are having fun while doing so!"

See the FULL class of 2021

A collage image consisting of 5 pictures, cut diagonally right for each image. There is also a heading stating “Trinity Talent – Class of 2021”. The first image on the bottom left, is of two girls working on a piece of art in a classroom, the second is a young man in a leather jacket with an acoustic guitar on his lap in a dark room with ambient lighting, the third image is on a young woman facing left singing with her mouth open wearing a blonde wig, the fourth image is of a young man playing the drums, the fifth and final image is of a young man wearing headphones recording a performance.