First-year music student at the University of Cape Town (UCT), Lucas Marques, is one of the 13 new faces in the 2025 National Youth Music Competition (NYMC) that takes place from 1 to 6 December at the Endler Hall in Stellenbosch.

He entered the competition to improve and grow. “Entering and competing with other young musicians is the best way to do it,” he says.

Now 19 years old, the budding musician started playing music six years ago. Initially, he taught himself. Currently, he is tutored by Dr Esthea Kruger, head of keyboard studies at the South African College of Music at UCT,

Residing in Mouille Point, Cape Town, Lucas also plays the guitar, but the piano is his favourite musical instrument. He believes his piano playing does justice to the area where he resides. The name Mouille comes from the French word for anchoring ground.

According to him, he practises the piano for four to five hours per day. The only musicality in the family is some members of his mother’s side who play the guitar.

Philosophically, he says he doesn’t have a specific role model. “I believe everyone has something that I can look up to.”

His favourite composer is the Polish composer, Frédéric Chopin. He motivates this by quoting French composer Claude Debussy, who said: “Chopin is the greatest of them all, for through the piano alone he discovered everything.”

Lucas describes himself as driven and strives to be balanced. In his free time, he plays soccer, and he loves writing.

If he could be an animal, he would like to be a cat. The reason is that he loves his cat.

On completion of his studies, he dreams of being a performer and soloist.

He approaches the NYMC true to his motto in life. “If you want something bad enough, you’re going to do it. If you don’t do it, you didn’t want it bad enough,” he smiles.