THE St Cecilia Orchestra will perform Rachmaninov’s epic Piano Concerto No 3 with international concert pianist Alexei Grynyuk at Ripon Cathedral on Saturday, October 11.

The Ukrainian pianist studied at the Kiev Conservatoire and Royal Academy of Music in London. A prodigious talent from an early age, he won first prize at both the Vladimir Horowitz International Piano Competition in Kiev and the Shanghai International Piano Competition in China.

His international career includes outstanding concerto performances with the Krakow Philharmonic and Bolshoi Symphony Orchestra as well as broadcasts for BBC Radio 3 and a renowned series of recitals at the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York.

The pianist is known for his heroic tone and profound understanding of Rachmaninov’s hugely virtuosic third piano concerto.

The concert opens with Beethoven’s stirring Egmont Overture and includes Sibelius’s 5th Symphony.

Written in the dark year of 1915, this majestic and uplifting work looks to Finnish nature for its inspiration.

In the cathedral’s acoustic, the belllike chorale of the final movement is sure to provide a thrilling climax.

Tickets for this gala concert are available from The Little Ripon Bookshop, Alan’s Gallery, Abode, the cathedral shop, P and C in Harrogate or by phoning 01765 677413 (£16, £14 concessions, children free). Visit st-cecilia.org.uk for more information.