A talented schoolgirl from Dorchester will be warming up the crowds by opening a concert of a well-known pianist.

Martin James Bartlett wowed the audiences with his superb talent in 2016 at the Dorchester Corn Exchange - and now he is back by popular demand with a new programme including works by Bach, Beethoven, Rachmaninov and Prokofiev.

The concert will open with a short performance by Hannah McFarlane, a tremendously talented young cellist from Dorchester. She will be accompanied by Howard Evans.

Hannah began learning the cello at age six and three years later was awarded Casterbridge Young Musician of the Year. 2016 was a pivotal year for Hannah, with her commencing studying with Lionel Hardy, achieving distinction in her Dip.ABRSM and winning the prestigious Two Moors Young Musician’s Platform Competition. Hannah played with the National Children’s Orchestra for three years and is currently principal cellist with the Wessex Youth Orchestra. Last autumn Hannah entered the BBC Young Musician 2018 and was delighted to get through to the category auditions – the final 25 string players.

Having won BBC Young Musician of the Year in 2014, Bartlett has gone on to perform with major orchestras in the UK and Europe and in 2017 was a finalist at the prestigious Van Cliburn Competition in the USA.

At the BBC Young Musician of the Year competition, Bartlett’s performance of Rachmaninov’s Rhapsody on a Theme of Paganini, with conductor Kirill Karabits and the BBC Scottish Symphony Orchestra, received overwhelming acclaim from Edinburgh’s Usher Hall audience and from those tuning into the live recording broadcast on BBC4 and BBC Radio 3.

In the same year, he began his undergraduate studies with Professor Vanessa Latarche at the Royal College of Music, where he is a Foundation Scholar.

The performance will be held on Wednesday, March 14.

For more information, including times and tickets, call 01305 266926, pop into the Corn Exchange (weekdays 10am until 4pm) or visit dorchesterarts.org.uk