SIX of the best young musicians in the region will battle it out next week to become the Kirklees Young Musician of the Year.

It is the title many young musicians and singers want to win.

After all, over the years a great deal of remarkable young performers, potential stars of the future, have emerged from this part of the Mrs Sunderland Music Festival.

The contest to find our top young musician has long been one of the festival highlights.

This year it gets a new venue and a new slot in the festival programme.

The six young talents who have entered this year’s contest will go through their paces in Huddersfield Town Hall at the height of the festival.

The class, which is for musicians aged between 16 and 25, is at 4pm on Friday February 22. It is part of the festival not to be missed.

The winner receives £1,000 plus the J W Pearce Trophy with £250 going to the runner-up.

This year’s competitors are one singer, a mezzo-soprano and five musicians – two who play piano, plus three who play flute, percussion and violin.

Three of the competitors, Ann Wilkes, Emily Neale and Katrina Lee, were born in the area.

Ann, 19, is from Beaumont Park and has been singing since she was very young, winning several classes at the Mrs Sunderland over the years.

She has an offer to study at Trinity Conservatoire in the autumn of 2013.

Ann will sing work by Handel, Mozart, Brahms, Vaughan Williams and Poulenc.

The first of the pianists to play is Charles Baker who is 21.

Charles is from Cheadle Hulme in Cheshire, and is in his final year at Huddersfield University, studying for a degree in Music Technology and Popular Music.

He is concentrating on composition and has included one of his own pieces in his choice of works for his recital. He will also play pieces by York Bowen and Prokofiev.

Charles hope to continue his studies to a Masters degree.

Next to play will be pianist Emily Neale who is 20 and is from Cleckheaton.

Emily studied at Chetham’s School of Music in Manchester and Huddersfield New College, before heading for Leeds College of Music, where she is in her third year.

She is working towards her Fellowship Diploma, and has been offered a place to study for a Masters degree at LCM.

Emily will play music by Georges Enesco and Hamilton Harty.

For avid followers of this competition, the face of young percussion player Joseph Whelan will be a familiar one.

This 20-year-old is studying for a BMus at Huddersfield University, with Chris Bradley as his percussion tutor.

Last year, Joseph was runner-up in the Kirklees Young Musician of the Year contest.

His programme comprises works by Nebojsia Zivkovic and Casey Cangelosi.

Next to play is violinist Katrina Lee who is 20 and from Birchencliffe.

Katrina is in her third year of an undergraduate course at the Royal Scottish Conservatoire in Glasgow, where she has received two awards.

While on her course she has played with the BBC Scottish Symphony Orchestra, the Royal Scottish National Orchestra and Scottish Opera.

She has chosen work by Brahms, Debussy and Antonio Bazzini.

The final competitor to play is also a pianist – George Peck, who is 20.

George is in his final year as a BMus student at Huddersfield University.

While at Loughborough Grammar School he played a Mozart concerto with the Endowed Schools Symphony Orchestra. He plans to continue to a Masters course at Huddersfield.

His programme includes music by Bach, Debussy and Khachaturian.

More details on all Mrs Sunderland events from www.mrs-sunderlandmusic.org.uk