Olympics composer Rebekah Fitch from Belfast chosen by Translink to judge new transport hub's Grand Pianist competition
A Belfast woman who composed music for the BBC Paris Olympics coverage will help select the winning pianist in a regional competition.
Alt-pop artist Rebekah Fitch said she is “over the moon” at being chosen as guest judge for the final of Translink’s ‘Grand Pianist’ competition to mark the opening of Belfast’s Grand Central Station.
The competition - which has seen a concert piano travel to five rail and bus stations in August and September, as part of a regional roadshow – invited amateur pianists to vie for the opportunity to perform at the new transport hub in the ‘Grand Final’ on October 3.
Rebekah, a 28-year-old singer-songwriter widely tipped for musical stardom, said she can’t wait to see the home-grown talent.
“Any initiative that puts a spotlight on creativity is really exciting - and important,” she said. “Bringing creativity to the forefront and championing people is crucial. There’s so much hidden talent out there, and I can’t wait to see all the diverse people from different walks of life taking part.”
The ‘Grand Pianist’ competition attracted over 100 hopefuls to the regional heats, where leading professional conductor and composer Matthew Owens – who will sit alongside Rebekah on the judging panel during the final – selected 12 musicians to compete for the top spot.
London-based Rebekak said that being chosen to compose and produce the music for the Beeb's Olympics trailer was “really significant” for her.
“I moved from being a singer-songwriter into being a composer and it felt like starting again,” she said.
“It was encouraging that the BBC thought I was good enough to do that because so much of this industry brings imposter syndrome. You’re constantly second guessing yourself so it was a massive encouragement to have that opportunity and I was so grateful for it.”
Rebekah, whose parents - Jeremy (58), a businessman, and Christine (56), a psychiatrist - have always been of huge support, said her version was chosen because “it felt the most emotional”.
“They wanted the trailer to convey how the athletes are so invested in what they're doing that it’s a real love story for them,” she said.
“It’s not just a career, it’s a life goal; something their whole heart goes into. It was the idea of these lovers coming together and then turning into acrobats or footballers and you see that journey. They wanted the music to bring out that part of the story, and to play on the fact that it was in the city of love.”
The Sullivan Upper School past pupil, who released her debut EP Broken Mind in 2018, started out in Belfast doing cover gigs in bars and busking.
To date, she has released 14 singles and two critically acclaimed EPs, producing or co-producing every track.
In 2019 Rebekah performed for the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge at a charity event at The Empire in Belfast, describing the royal couple as “really lovely”.
Gary Lightbody from Snow Patrol praised his compatriot for “great songs and a powerhouse voice”, adding that it was “easy to see great things ahead for her” while music magazine Hot Press described her as “a Northern Irish pop phenomenon”.