A CELEBRATED pianist is bringing a rhapsody to Weymouth.

Duncan Honeybourne will perform George Gershwin’s world famous A Rhapsody in Blue with the Dorset Sinfonia at St Mary’s Church in Weymouth on Saturday, April 6.

Weymouth-born Duncan, a piano soloist of great renown, gave his first BBC broadcast at the age of 17 and was a prize winner at both the Royal Academy of Music and the Royal Birmingham Conservatoire.

He has since gone on to become an established performer at the highest level and a music teacher whose pupils in turn have become professional musicians.

Duncan has toured extensively as a soloist and a chamber musician, broadcasting frequently for the BBC and radio networks worldwide. His many recordings reflect his interest in 20th and 21st century British piano music.

He has a keen following who regularly attend the recitals of the Weymouth Lunchtime Chamber Concerts at St Mary’s church, of which he is the founder and director.

A Rhapsody in Blue was composed by Gershwin in 1924, combining elements of classical music with jazz-influenced motifs. The broad outline of the whole piece formed in Gershwin’s mind on a single train journey from New York to Boston and was completed within five weeks before its premiere in New York.

In addition to this, the Dorset Sinfonia, conducted by David Ansell and lead by Rachel Greenwood, will be playing an arrangement of An American in Paris, John Cage’s Short Ride in a Fast Machine and finishing the evening with Dvorak’s magnificent New World Symphony.

Tickets, priced £10 for adults, are available from Dorchester Tourist Information and will also be available on the door. Under 18’s entrance is free.