ONE of the world’s most celebrated cellists Raphael Wallfisch will headline an eclectic repertoire of string solo and orchestral music at Skipton’s newly-renovated town hall next Saturday. February 13.

He will join Skipton Building Society Camerata for its first local concert of 2016.

Playing alongside them will be 12-year-old violinist Alexandra Keeley, of Ilkley, a former student of the Yehudi Menuhin School near London, who also performed at last year’s Grassington Festival.

The concert aptly entitled On the Shoulders of Giants will showcase music from 18th century Austria and 20th century Russia, with Wallfisch as the soloist in Shostakovich’s powerful First Cello Concerto.

The cellist has enjoyed a distinguished international career playing with such orchestras as the London Symphony, London Philharmonic, Philharmonia, BBC Symphony, English Chamber Orchestra, Hallé, City of Birmingham Symphony, Leipzig Gewandhaus and Berlin Symphony to name but a few.

Alexandra - who played in Settle Orchestra concert in 2011 - will play The Adélaïde Concerto, which was attributed to a young Mozart, but recent studies have suggested that it was actually by Marius Casadesus, who was ‘inspired’ by the great man.

Conductor Ben Crick, founder of the Camerata said: “Raphael Wallfisch is one of the most astonishingly brilliant cellists currently performing on the international stage. It’s an absolute honour for both myself and the Camerata to accompany him again, particularly as this fantastic concert will be on our home turf.”

Camerata's 2016 concerts have been collectively titled No Man is an Island and they together explore the varied circumstances in which composers produced their many masterpieces.

In addition to Camerata's core concerts in Skipton and Ilkley, the orchestra will also give three performances at the purpose-built concert hall The Venue, Leeds - starting with Raphael Wallfisch's Shostakovich next Friday.

Other concerts in the series include Beethoven's Violin Concerto, played by German violinist (and new leader of Skipton Camerata) Sebastian Mueller on July 1, and Finzi's Clarinet Concerto, played by highly acclaimed Emma Johnson on November 11.

For tickets and further information, visit skiptoncamerata.com or telephone 0333 6663366.