A former pupil of St Edmund’s School Canterbury who has won a recording session after his success at a Young Musicians competition will be returning to the city to perform a recital at St Peter’s Methodist Church on Saturday, 16th August.

Violinist John Mann, who left the school last summer, claimed first prize in the Advanced category at a Trinity Guildhall sponsored event open to all musicians under 20 years of age which took place in Dover on 4th July.

Proving there is more than one string to his bow, he switched instruments to also take top spot in the Composition section with his piano piece ‘Lumieres electriques sous une nuit sombre’, which he also performed.

He intends to take up his prize – a three-hour session at Clovelly Recordings Studio at St Edmund’s Catholic School in Dover – in September, alongside his brother Alex who is a professional singer.

Chris McDade, Director of Music at St Edmund’s School Canterbury, commented: “It is always pleasing to hear of a former pupil continuing to excel in their chosen field. John’s talent was allied to hard work and he left St Edmund’s having achieved one of the ten highest marks in the country for his A-level music paper. His performance at St Peter’s promises to be memorable evening.”

John now studies violin in Spain at Madrid’s prestigious Escuela Superior de Música under the renowned Professor Sergei Fatkouline.

The concert at St Peter’s starts at 7.30pm and tickets can be obtained by calling 01227 728533 or 07753 372692.