A PRECOCIOUS Upton-upon-Severn musician was the only recorder player in the county to feature in the first ever gathering of the National Youth Recorder Orchestra (NYRO).

As part of the Great Malvern Recorder Weekend, virtuoso recorder players from across Britain descended on St James's School, in West Malvern, for a week of expert tuition, which included a concert at the Birmingham Conservatoire on Wednesday, June 5.

Twelve-year-old Rebecca Hardwick, a music scholarship student at King's School in Worcester, was the only Worcestershire player to claim one of 64 places in the prestigious ensemble.

She said the auditions, which took place at the conservatoire earlier this year, had been "quite nerve-wracking" but that the experience of playing with so many other musicians of such a high standard proved enjoyable.

"It has been really hard but really fun," she said. "It's amazing what you can do in such a short time."

The talented youngster also plays violin, flute and piano but counts the recorder as her first instrument.

"It's a nice sound and when you have learned the pieces it's quite easy to play," she said.

Rebecca has been playing the recorder since the age of five and her favourite version is the treble.

Her mother Linda, herself a recorder teacher for 25 years, paid tribute to her daughter's enthusiasm and dedication, describing her as "very self-motivated".

Rebecca said that performing in Wednesday's concert, part of which was recorded on CD, had been "really good". "It was a really great atmosphere," she said.