SOLOIST Helena Smart plays the Max Bruch Violin Concerto No 1 with Bishop Auckland Orchestra, in St Mary's Church, Woodhouse Lane, on November 21.

A student at the Royal Northern College of Music, Helena, from Northallerton, has been a finalist in the Yehudi Menuhin international violin competition and the recent BBC Young Musician of the Year contest.

She started violin lessons at the age of eight and has won several awards, appearing with top symphony orchestras including the Halle.

The programme also includes Handel's Water Music and Haydn's Oxford Symphony.