IT HAS been a long road from her Redcar bedroom playing to an audience of one, but Kate Chisholm has finally conquered the Royal Albert Hall.

The 23-year-old flugelhorn player performed last week with the BT Brass Band in front of a sell-out crowd of 6,200 to raise money for Childline.

And now, the post-graduate music student has vowed to dedicate her life to music.

She said: "Playing at the Royal Albert Hall was the most wonderful experience of my life, but was totally nerve-wracking. As the band played its last note of the performance, we were aware of a huge throng of applause. As I put down my flugelhorn, the audience were on their feet, giving the band a standing ovation. The noise was overwhelming and the band were overcome with emotion. I have been performing for 14 years but never experienced anything like it."