WORLD-class cellist Julian Lloyd Webber is in Hereford on Monday.

During the afternoon he will lead a masterclass at Hereford Courtyard with local cellists of varying abilities, and in the evening he will perform a programme of music including Bach's Adagio in G, Britten's Scherzo - Pizzicato and Claude Debussy's Sonata.

The Monday night event, hosted by Hereford Concert Society, has been sold out for weeks.

Widely regarded as one of the most creative musicians of his generation, Julian Lloyd Webber grew up in a musical London household.

His father, William, was an organist and composer and his mother taught the piano.

No need to highlight the musical prowess of his older brother Andrew - whose contemporaries Tim Rice and John Lill both spent time at the Lloyd Webber household.

Julian was four when he spotted a cellist in an orchestra and knew that's what he wanted to play.

His mother had tried to steer him towards the piano, which his brother Andrew played, but it was the cello that caught his imagination.

"If there hadn't been music always being played in my family home, and I hadn't liked it, I may have been interested in something else," he says.

"I fancied the idea of being a detective or a footballer, like most young boys."

But at 13 his mind was set on being a professional cellist.

"When people were more exposed to classical music, they had more chance to be drawn to it."

His masterclass workshops, which he has been holding around the country, are intended to inspire.

"It's about motivation and playing something together," he says.

"Music education has drifted out of people's attention.

"I've been to schools where pupils haven't even seen a cello."

The day after we spoke he was off to Malta to perform, and he has just finished touring with Evelyn Glennie.

Between times, he is rehearsing for a recording with a symphony orchestra, which will feature themes from Phantom of the Opera.

During his 20-year partnership with Philips/Universal Classics he has produced one or two recordings of his brother's work, which classicists tend to jump on and tar him with a 'selling out' brush.

"They seem to forget all the classics I have recorded," he says.

Julian has given more than 50 works their premiere recordings and has inspired new compositions for cello from composers including Philip Glass, Malcolm Arnold and Joaquin Rodrigo.

Recent concert performances have included three further works composed for Julian - Michael Nyman's Double Concerto for Cello and Saxophone for the BBC, Gavin Bryars' Concerto in Suntory Hall, Tokyo and Philip Glass' Concerto at the Beijing International Festival.

He plays the Barjanksy Stradivarius cello of c.1690, which he acquired at auction over 20 years ago and he describes as "irreplaceable" and "always close at hand".

While he is in Hereford, he will be taking time to visit his favourite haunts, including the Dinosaw Market in Bastian Mews, which sells old vinyl.

He's also a secret Bulls fan - and gets along to games as often as he can.

"I've got a real soft spot for Hereford United and think Hereford should definitely have a league team."

He and third wife Kheira, have a place in Gloucestershire to escape the smog of London.

"Herefordshire's one of my favourite parts of Britain," he says.

l There are tickets available for the afternoon masterclass. To inquire call 0870 1122330.