TWO hugely talented young instrumentalists open a new and exciting series of Grange concerts.

Taking to the Victoria Hall stage on Friday, March 18, as part of the 2016 Grange-over-Sands Concert Club season will be Ulverston saxophonist Jess Gillam and percussionist Elliott Gaston-Ross of Lytham, who were both finalists in the BBC Young Musician of the Year competition in 2014.

Jess is back in this year's prestigious competition and has already reached the woodwind finals, which will be televised on BBC4 on April 15.

Following on from Jess and Elliot will be highly regarded pianist Sarah Beth Briggs, herself a finalist in the BBC Young Musician Competition at the age of 11; at the same time she was also one of the youngest recipients of the Dame Myra Hess Award. Sarah Beth plays the Grange series on Friday, April 8 (8pm) performing works by Haydn, Beethoven, Debussy and Chopin's Ballade no 1 in G minor.

Friday, May 6, sees the extraordinary talented students of Chetham's Music School grace the series. Chetham's is the largest music school in the UK for students aged between 8 and 18 years and many have enjoyed great success on the competition circuit and have provided many of the finalists and semi-finalists in the BBC Young Musician of the Year contests.

Works by Mozart, Chausson, Janacak and Brahms feature in the programme of violinist, Savitri Grier, and pianist, Richard Uttley, on Friday, June 3. Savitri was selected for representation by the Young Concert Artists Trust (YCAT) at their auditions in May 2015 and is due to make her debut at Carnegie's Weill Hall. Savitri will be accompanied by pianist Richard Uttley.

Friday, July 8, will be the turn of Julian Bliss, regarded as one of the world's finest solo clarinettists excelling as concert soloist, chamber musician, jazz artist, masterclass leader and tireless musical explorer. He has inspired a generation of young players, as guest lecturer and creator of the Leblanc Bliss range of affordable clarinets, and introduced a whole new audience to his instrument. He will be accompanied on piano by James Ballalieu.

The outstanding trio of Sam Haywood, piano, Matthew Huber, cello, and Maria Wloszczowska, violin, are in the spotlight on Friday, August 5, and completing the popular series line-up on Friday, September 9, will be the much praised Zelkova Quartet, formed at the Royal Northern College of Music in 2010.

Another class series in prospect, put together by the club which was founded in 1973. During the early years an annual festival was held comprising three concerts on three successive days using a Bosendorfer piano borrowed from Hal Bagot of Levens Hall.

Twenty years later, and after plenty of fundraising, the club acquired its own 1895 Steinway series B piano - now its most treasured possession.

All concert performances start at 8pm.

Tickets are available at www.grangeoversandsconcertclub.org.uk or at the door.