A French horn player from Ashwell has won through to the final of BBC Young Musician 2016, and will play live on BBC 4 on Sunday night.

Ben Goldscheider will take on his last two rivals live on TV at the Barbican Hall in London, playing the Strauss Horn Concerto No. 2 accompanied by the BBC Symphony Orchestra, conducted by Mark Wigglesworth.

Ben started playing the French horn at the age of nine after being diagnosed with the lung condition bronchiectasis. Up against him the final will be saxophonist Jess Gillam and cellist Sheku Kanneh-Mason.

“It’s an amazing feeling,” said 18-year-old Ben, who attends Knights Templar School in Baldock and enjoys playing a wide range of sports.

“The main thing for me, more than the prize money or the trophy, would be the kudos that would come from winning, and how it would really launch my career.

“If you win, overnight you’ve got every orchestra wanting you to come play with them.

“I’m also very keen to promote the horn as a solo instrument. I’ve been able to play some very modern and difficult solo works live on TV, and now the whole country knows about it.

“Promoting the horn as a solo instrument is something I really want to do in my career.”

All three finalists are to receive a two-year contract with the Young Classical Artists Trust (YCAT), paid for the BBC.

You can see how Ben gets on in the final on BBC 4 at 7pm on Sunday.