TASMIN Little is regarded as one of the world's leading violinists up there with the stellar likes of some of the UK's finest such as Nicola Benedetti who plays with a similar breathtaking virtuosity.

On Saturday, April 29 (7.30pm), the dazzling soloist joins the eminent BBC Philharmonic orchestra conducted by Michael Seal to play Elgar’s enigmatic violin concerto and provide a world class finish to the successful 2016/2017 Lakeland Sinfonia Concert Society series at Kendal Leisure Centre's Westmorland Hall.

Her recording of the Elgar violin concerto with Sir Andrew Davis and the Royal National Scottish Orchestra was awarded the Critic's Choice Award in the 2011 Classic BRIT Awards.

The second half of the Kendal concert features Brahms’ monumental Symphony no 1 in C minor with its soaring melodic lines.

Born in 1965, the young Tasmin first started reading music aged six while learning to play the recorder. She attended the Yehudi Menuhin School on a scholarship as a weekly boarder between the ages of 8 and 18.

Her first professional performance as a soloist was in 1988 with the Hallé.

Tasmin has performed on every continent in some of the most prestigious venues of the world and her impassioned playing has landed her a multitude of awards, including an OBE in the 2012 Queen's Birthday Honours for services to music.

Her varied career encompasses international concerto and recital performances, masterclasses, workshops and community outreach work.

In 2008, she launched her project, The Naked Violin, aimed at breaking down barriers to classical music by releasing a free CD for download on her website, and performing in the community where music is rarely heard. Within days of the CD release, 6,500 websites had linked to Tasmin’s site and within a few months, more than half a million people had visited and downloaded. The project was filmed for television by ITV’s The South Bank Show.

Tasmin's discography and performance schedule reflect her wide-ranging repertoire and she records exclusively for Chandos Records.

Her commissioned work, Four World Seasons by Roxanna Panufnik, was premiered as a live broadcast on the BBC at the start of Music Nation weekend, leading up to the London 2012 Olympic Games.

In February 2016, she released a highly-acclaimed triple CD of the complete Beethoven sonatas with Ulverston's Martin Roscoe, which was launched following a concert at London's Wigmore Hall. The Sunday Times chose the recording as its Album of the Week.

The same year she played in Sydney at the opening gala concert of the Sydney International Piano Competition, as well as collaborating and performing over a four-day period with six of the twelve semi-finalists in sonata repertoire for violin piano.

For the record, Tasmin is the daughter of actor George Little, best known for his role during the 1970s (and again around 1983) as the Rev Edward Ruskin in television's Emmerdale Farm.

Prior to Tasmin and the BBC Phil's April 29 performance will be a free pre-concert talk at 6.30pm.

Book online or by telephone on 0333-666-3366.