Uploaded September 2026 | Updated September 2026, 1 day ago
Rania’s original work 'Pickett’s Charge’ won second prize in the Release the Image category of Guildhall Young Artists (GYA) composition competition, RELEASE 2026.
Rania, from Junior Guildhall, says: “This piece was inspired by my deep sense of the futility of war. The Battle of Gettysburg (1863) was the most consequential battle of the Civil War and the bloodiest in US history at that time. Pickett's Charge was the turning point for the Union. The piece opens with suspense, of soldiers lurking, represented by quiet polyphony. A sense of impending doom builds, punctuated by chaotic percussive battle sounds, with the firing of cannons presented by sudden cluster chords. The tension builds, with bold brass lines cutting through the air, depicting the violent clash of combat, alongside moments of frenzy and confusion. The piece erupts into a powerful climax, then gradually shifts to mournful strings that reflect a bleak landscape emerging from the chaos. It captures a profound sense of the futility and tragedy of war, whose echoes linger long after the final notes fade into silence.”
The category judge for Release the Image was Barbara de Biasi, Deputy Head of Electronic & Produced Music & Lead Professor of Film Music at Guildhall School.
Find out more about GYA here: gsmd.ac.uk/study-with-guildhall/children-and-young-people/guildhall-young-artists
Rania’s original work 'Pickett’s Charge’ won second prize in the Release the Image category of Guildhall Young Artists (GYA) composition competition, RELEASE 2026.
Rania, from Junior Guildhall, says: “This piece was inspired by my deep sense of the futility of war. The Battle of Gettysburg (1863) was the most consequential battle of the Civil War and the bloodiest in US history at that time. Pickett's Charge was the turning point for the Union. The piece opens with suspense, of soldiers lurking, represented by quiet polyphony. A sense of impending doom builds, punctuated by chaotic percussive battle sounds, with the firing of cannons presented by sudden cluster chords. The tension builds, with bold brass lines cutting through the air, depicting the violent clash of combat, alongside moments of frenzy and confusion. The piece erupts into a powerful climax, then gradually shifts to mournful strings that reflect a bleak landscape emerging from the chaos. It captures a profound sense of the futility and tragedy of war, whose echoes linger long after the final notes fade into silence.”
The category judge for Release the Image was Barbara de Biasi, Deputy Head of Electronic & Produced Music & Lead Professor of Film Music at Guildhall School.
Find out more about GYA here: gsmd.ac.uk/study-with-guildhall/children-and-young-people/guildhall-young-artists
