An ACCLAIMED quartet will feature at a special concert in Beaminster this weekend.

The Friends of Beaminster Festival will welcome the Alauda Quartet to perform in St Mary's Church on Saturday (18) at 3pm.

The group's members hail from the four corners of Europe - and formed at the Royal Academy of Music in London. Christina Prats-Costa (violin), Milan Berginc (violin), Rhoslyn Lawton (viola) and Elena Cappelletti (cello) come together four years ago - sharing a passion for chamber music and a strong desire to explore the repertoire of the string quartet.

When the group take to St Mary's Church this weekend, they will be playing a delightful programme including Maydn, Beethoven and Mendelssohn.

Two years ago, the Alauda Quartet was awarded a Junior Fellowship in Chamber Music from the Royal Academy of Music, and were involving in several performances at the Academy - including a celebration of the music of British composer, Sir Michael Tippett.

The Alauda Quartet has enjoyed recent successes, included being selected as Park Lane Group artists for 2015. They also performed at a concert in January at the Purcell Room at the Queen Elizabeth Hall.

As well as holding concerts in the UK, the Alauda Quartet have enjoyed performing at music festivals across Europe, and embarked on tours of Spain and Italy in 2012, and Germany in 2013.

Last year, the quartet completed their first tour of China, including a performance at the National Centre for the Performing Arts in Beijing.

For more information, please call the Yarn Barton Centre on 01308 862715 or Bridport Music on 01308 424707.