In a specially prepared hour long presentation she will play for the pupils, invite them to participate in a musical adventure and Miss Lisovskaya will answer questions about her jet-setting life as an international pianist.

At the age of 14, Sophia Lisovskaya was the outright winner of the all-Russia "New Names" competition, a Russian equivalent of the "Young Musician of the Year".

"This was a huge competition covering all the former Soviet Republics just before the USSR was disbanded," added concert organiser Peter Sotheran. "Sophia really was the top of the class, when it came to playing classical music."

Sophia Lisovskaya comes from a musical family. Her first public performance was at the age of six when she accompanied her violinist father in Moscow.

After studying at the Moscow Conservatoire, Lisovskaya completed her musical studies in London and has played at all the top musical venues across Europe, including London's Wigmore Hall and St. James's Palace.

Her public concert will be on Friday night at Sir William Turner's Almshouses in Kirkleatham village, near Redcar. Her programme includes music by Bach, Beethoven, Chopin, Schumann Scriabin and Rachmaninov. Sophia Lisovskaya is an acknowledged world expert on the works of the Russian composer Rachmaninov.

Tickets for the concert cost £10 and can be reserved to collect at the door by leaving a message on 01642 482828. The concert starts at 7.30 p.m. Friday 1st October.