A LITHUANIAN cellist had to reserve a seat in club class for his instrument when he flew in to give concerts in the North-East yesterday.

Mindaugas Backus' cello is so valuable that no airline will take responsibility for putting it in the hold of an aircraft. It is too large to go in standard class, so the cellist has to pay for it to travel club class.

"My cello is rather a plump little lady and too wide to fit into a standard seat," joked the 30-year-old musician.

"I don't pay full price, though, because my cello obviously does not need a meal, so I pay about 20 to 30 per cent less than normal. But I always ask for a window seat for her. At check-in I introduce her as my girlfriend."

Mr Backus, the principal cellist with the Lithuanian National Symphony Orchestra, was at Coatham Church of England Primary School, in Redcar, east Cleveland, yesterday performing with pianist Marija Dzenkauskaite.

He and Ms Dzenkauskaite performed a lunchtime concert and, in return, the children learnt some Lithuanian for the performers.

The school brass band gave their own short concert.

The Lithuanian duo later performed at St William Turner's Almshouses, Kirkleatham, near Redcar, yesterday evening.

Concert organiser Peter Sotheran said: "We were delighted to welcome the musicians here."