History of the Competition
The inaugural YDOTY competition kicked off in October 2002 when a story was posted on the mikedolbear.com website, inviting young drummers from around the UK to enter the first annual ‘Young Drummer of the Year’ competition. The competition was put together to give the country’s young drumming talent a national, and indeed international, platform, which we hope will be the first steps in their musical career.
Since then, the event has seen tremendous growth. It has established itself as an internationally recognised event, attracting an ever increasing number of entries and seeing the very best in terms of drumming talent. Sponsorship from various high profile companies has meant that the competition has continued to improve, both in terms of popularity and scale of production.
The finals of the competition are held in February at a central UK location . A great team of volunteers are assembled for the event each year, all helping to make it a fantastic experience for the competitors and audience alike.
In the year following the finals, the winner is kept very busy! Past winners have made numerous TV and radio appearances, as well as support slots for the like of Billy Ward and Thomas Lang, Horacio “El Negro” Hernandez and Stanton Moore and every winner traditionally opens the UK Drum Show in Manchester.
Finalists have also performed with Jojo Mayer, Dave Weckl, JR Robinson, Aaron Spears, Chris Coleman, Steve Smith and Benny Greb.
Opening dates are from October 1st 2019 and closes 15th November
Meet The Sponsors: 2020
Drum Workshop
“At Drum Workshop, The Drummer’s Choice® is more than a slogan; it’s a fact. After more than 45 years of innovation and tireless dedication to improving the way drum products are made, DW drums, pedals and hardware are the standard by which all others are measured. To get there, it takes more than a working knowledge of the instrument or a few good ideas; it takes a true passion for designing and manufacturing the very best.“
As the European distributor of the world leading brand in Drums, DW, we always think one step further. “Young drummer of the year” is the first step for the next generation of drummers. We want to offer them the possibility to use the best available drums to ensure they can focus 100% on their drumming without thinking about the gear!
Meinl Cymbals
“Meinl is honoured to sponsor Mike’s Young Drummer of the Year contest again. I’ve been a fan of it for years and looking forward to offer my experience to young drummers who want to start a career in the drum industry. Really happy to be part of it again.
Meinl started manufacturing cymbals in 1951 and has ever since become one of the world’s biggest and most innovative cymbal maker. The Meinl Family includes many of the world’s leading drummers of all genres. Meinl cymbals inspire drummers in creating their artform and modern music culture.”
Norbert Saemann
International Artist Relations Manager, Meinl Cymbals
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