Classical Winner – But Of What?

This week the BBC televises the finals of its BBC Young Musician of the Year. The live broadcast is a rarity. “In an age when the competition’s viewing figures have plummeted from 20 million in its heyday to an anticipated 1.5 million this weekend, what kind of future can the winner look forward to? Is classical music living on death row? Is it really a tougher place to be than ever before? And what pitfalls lie in wait for an unsuspecting young musician suddenly catapulted to fame?”