MUSICAL youngsters have been demonstrating their talents at an annual musical contest.

St Augustine's Catholic College, in Trowbridge, held its 15th Young Musician of the Year competition, sponsored by HSBC, at the Wiltshire Music Centre in Bradford on Avon. The ten best musicians were narrowed down from more than 100 performers to compete in the final, which saw year 11 pupil Callum Merrett win the title for his performance on the electric guitar.

Callum performed For the Love of God' from memory with a backing track on an Ibanez guitar. He also plays in a band outside of school, Uranium, which performed at the Guildford Festival and at Battle of the Bands contests in and around west Wiltshire.

Runner up was year 10 student Cameron Lange on the cello, who reached the grand final for the second year running. Cameron, who is also a member of the West Wiltshire Youth Orchestra, performed the first movement of Elgar's Cello Concerto.

A total of four students reached the grand final including James Otto on the piano and Benjamin James on alto saxophone. Nathalie Corless, who plays the euphonium, was awarded the prize for Most Promising Performance.

Nathalie, who is in year 8, was the youngest of the finalists, and was appeared in the competition for the first time. She is also a member of the Trowbridge and District Youth Band.

Other finalists included Michael Driscoll on the piano, Naomi Gibb singing, Laura Flowers on the flute, Laura Gumbley on the violin and Benjamin James who appeared again on the percussion.

Benjamin is only the second student in the competition's history to play twice in the same final on two different instruments.

The evening began with a performance by last year's Young Musician of the Year, Victoria Gumbley, who played the second and third movements from the Concerto for Oboe by Kalliwoda.