SILSDEN musician Stuart Langhorne is tinkling the ivories every Wednesday at a Skipton cafe.

The lifelong pianist is providing background music for customers at Hettie’s Cafe Bistro in High Street from 1pm to 3.30pm.

Stuart, who for 30 years has been the Steeton Methodist Church organist, performs a mix of popular songs and classical music.

He also provides music for Hettie’s regular themed foodie events which in recent weeks have included a Japanese evening.

Stuart is due to perform at Hettie’s during an Italian night on Thursday, May 10 and a Yorkshire evening with classical snippets on May 30.

Stuart last week teamed up with a team of technical experts from Rawdon to record a performance at Hettie’s to be released as a CD.

The disc is likely to be entitled Popular Piano Classics and Favourites.

Stuart is a Leeds College of Music graduate who has lived in Silsden for 53 years. He began his residency at Hettie’s last September.

He said: “I have a classical repertoire and I can play music from operas. It’s largely based on my ability to remember pieces from popular piano concertos.

“The Yorkshire evening will be a wonderful one that will exhibit my talents with a Yorkshire twist.”

Stuart said recent highlights included the Japanese evening, where he played music from Gilbert and Sullivan’s comic opera The Mikado., and a “wonderful” evening where he accompanied a country singer.

Coming up at Hettie’s: Camerata will perform Debussy’s “A New World on June 6, July 4, October 3 and November 7, and a Christmas arrangement on December 5.

Videos of Stuart playing are available on his Facebook page entitled Stuart Plays, or the Facebook page for Forsyth Music Shop. To book Stuart to perform piano or buy his upcoming CD should call him on 07534 634131.