Classical fun for all the family in Leamington

The concert in the Pump Room tomorrow (Saturday) at 2.30pm showcases 12 young musicians from Alcester to Nuneaton and everywhere in between, who each take lessons from Warwickshire Music, performing a refreshing range of music from Gibbons to Eric Coates and Weber to Bartok with a sprinkling of Elgar and Debussy to boot.

The youngsters, all of whom are still at school, play virtuosic music on wind and string instruments, alongside piano, percussion, and even a pair of viols.

Warwickshire Music teaches young people in schools and other educational settings as well as through four area music centres across the county.

The following day, the Pump Room hosts a family concert at 3pm by the Leonore Piano Trio and narrated by Esther Sheridan.

The performance is based on the popular storybook Why Beethoven Threw the Stew by renowned cellist Steven Isserlis. It will be packed with well-known tunes, surprising facts and witty anecdotes that promise to bring Beethoven and his music to very vivid life. It is perfect for the whole family, especially ages five and above.

Tickets for both concerts cost £3 for children and £6 for adults and include tea and cakes in the conservatory afterwards.

The Leamington Music Festival Weekend runs from today to Tuesday, May 2, with a starry line-up that includes international artists such as singers Dame Felicity Lott and Roderick Williams alongside instrumentalists Michael Collins and Raphael Wallfisch, with the Doric, Jubilee, Gildas and Dante String Quartets and the Kinsky and Leonore Piano Trios.

Visit www.royalspacentreandtownhall.co.uk or call 01926 334418 for tickets.

See www.leamingtonmusic.org for more information about the festival.