A TOP young musician has reached the Brass Final of the 2012 BBC Young Musician of the Year competition.

Jonathan Bates, 16, of Skelmanthorpe will perform alongside some of the country’s most talented musicians.

Jonathan, who has been playing the tenor horn since he was 10, has been involved with some of the area’s top brass bands.

The BBC Young Musician presents a new challenge for Jonathan as it is a more orchestral-based competition which has historically favoured trumpets, trombones and tubas.

To reach the final playing a “non-orchestral” brass instrument is a rare achievement – he is only the second tenor horn player to progress so far.

And he beat off competition of more than 400 entries to be named one of the five Brass finalists.

The finalists’ performances, along with a short documentary about each of them, will be broadcast on BBC4 in April ahead of the Grand Final in May.

Jonathan has had to get used to the cameras – he recently spent a few days filming with the BBC.

Jonathan joined the famous Black Dyke Band in 2010, having previously been a member of Brighouse and Rastrick, Carlton Main Frickley, Elland and Skelmanthorpe B Bands.

He is also Principal Tenor Horn of the National Youth Brass Band of Great Britain and reached the final of the BBC Radio 2 Young Brass Soloist in 2010 and 2011.

Since then he has performed in many of Europe’s top concert venues and recently returned from Norway where he appeared in the Grieg Hall, Bergen as a guest of their Championship Section Band, Öskorg Brass.

His potential was recognised by the time he was 13 and he has recently received commissions to write music for the BBC, The National Youth Brass Band and several of the country’s top brass soloists.