TALENTED young musician Sam Nicholls has spent the last few weeks touring with the National Youth Orchestra of Great Britain with performances at Birmingham Symphony Hall, the Royal Festival Hall in London and on BBC Radio 3. The talented year 11 Kirkbie Kendal School student was invited to play percussion with the prestigious orchestra, including drums for Bernstein's West Side Story. Sam said that he really enjoyed being part of a large group of like-minded teenagers making music in some of Britain's top concert halls. He added: "The standard was exceptional."

Later this month, Sam will rejoin the group of 100 musicians for NYO's Play the School, promoting orchestral music to teenagers in East London. Sam studies percussion at the Junior Royal Northern College of Music travelling every Saturday to the Manchester college for individual lessons and group rehearsals.

Last year he landed the college's Sylvia Swiffin Award for outstanding progress.