STANDARDS were so high in this year's Kathleen Ferrier Society Bursary for Young Singers that the judging panel could not decide between second and third place.

The main cash prize of £3,000 was given to 19-year-old Sophie Bevan, of the Royal College of Music. But when it came to the runners-up prizes the judges decided to split the cash equally, presenting £750 to both Ben Johnson, also studying at the Royal College of Music, and South African baritone Njabulo Madlala, who is studying at the Guildhall School of Music and Drama, in London.

In a second break with tradition, the judging panel whittled the singers down to seven finalists instead of the normal five.

Co-founder of the Kathleen Ferrier Society, Sylvia Alexander, said: "The standards were very high this time so seven finalists got though to the final on Sunday evening. It was a great concert for the audience because each of them sang three songs each so it lasted a lot longer than we anticipated."