Leeds Conservatoire had the honour of being the only British institution invited by Zhejiang Conservatory of Music to take part in its prestigious pop vocal competition. Now in its second year, the 2025 competition took place in the city of Shaoxing with participants predominantly from high profile conservatories in China.
Alys Watson performing. Photos throughout courtesy of Zhejiang Conservatory of Music
Following a thorough selection process, including an essay, Leo Hicks and Alys Watson from the conservatoire’s undergraduate Popular Music programme were chosen to compete. Leo has performed at the Royal Albert Hall and on ITV’s Britain’s Got Talent as a member of LC Pop Choir, is a member of country outfit The Wranglers and is currently a third year student. Alys is a recent graduate and was awarded The Leeds Conservatoire Prize for the School of Popular Music and Voice at this year’s graduation. Rosie Myers, another talented third year student, was invited to come along to support with international recruitment activity.
Kari Bleivik on competition judging panel
Joining Leo, Alys and Rosie for the week in China were academic staff Kari Bleivik (Head of School - Popular Music and Voice) and Richard Petch (Academic Manager), plus Victoria Barber (Head of International Recruitment) and Jiani Yang (Senior International Recruitment Officer).
Academic staff from the conservatoire attended an industry seminar, where they conducted in-depth analysis and discussions on the current state and future trends of the domestic and international pop music market. Richard gave a lecture focused on AI as part of this. Simultaneously, members of the International team introduced the conservatoire’s curriculum and educational advantages to the attending educational leaders and experts.
The week involved rehearsals for competitors, including Leo and Alys, then three rounds of competition where the panel of judges gave feedback and voted independently. During the competition’s performance segment, Kari was a judge, scoring the 30 contestants alongside other top industry professionals and offering professional guidance.
Leo Hicks performing
Alys and Leo showcased their talents, demonstrating Leeds Conservatoire’s strength in the highly competitive field of popular music education through their distinctive voices, mature stage presence, and high-level singing skills and interpretation. Leo, who reached the semi-finals of the competition, narrowly missing a place in the final, said “the whole thing’s been a great experience with great people.”
Leeds Conservatoire has a global outlook and actively seeks international opportunities, like this, which are beneficial to current and prospective students and staff.
