A TALENTED young violinist from Chaddesley Corbett is celebrating after securing a coveted place with the National Children’s Orchestra.

Nine-year-old Willem Van de Heuvel-Berkers, a pupil at Winterfold School, studies violin, singing and piano and has been offered full membership from the Conservatoire this year.

Willem said he is very excited to have been offered a place in the NCO. As part of the audition, he had to perform two contrasting pieces and play two pieces of sight reading.

Willem will attend his first NCO monthly regional rehearsal in February and as a member of the orchestra, he will also attend a residential training course during the summer holidays.

He started playing the violin three and a half years ago as a member of the Young Strings at Birmingham Conservatoire, which he attends every Saturday morning.

At Winterfold, Willem plays with the Junior and Senior String group and School Orchestra and studies piano with the Head of Music Jerry Price.

He competed in the Northfield Festival of Music & Speech in 2016 and 2017, winning a strings class both years running, as well as being a joint winner at Winterfold’s Junior Music Competition in 2017.

Willem said: “I'm looking forward to making lots of new friends at the NCO who love playing in orchestras like me.”