A TALENTED Ulverston musician has reached the finals of a prestigious BBC music competition for a second time.

Saxophonist Jess Gillam has made the Woodwind Finals of the coveted BBC Young Musician of the Year 2016 competition.

The 17-year-old also reached the finals in 2014, when she received the BBC Walter Todds Bursary for showing exceptional promise in the competition.

The Ulverston Victoria High School sixth former will compete again at the Royal Welsh College of Music and Drama this March.

The competition will be televised later this year on BBC Four and BBC Two with complimentary coverage on BBC Radio Three.

Jess said: “I am delighted to have reached the BBC Young Musician Category Finals. "I really enjoyed the experience when I competed in 2014 and the opportunities and performances that came from it were fantastic.

"The competition is a brilliant platform and I can’t wait to compete this year.”

The contest is the UK’s leading contest for young classical musicians.

After an extensive audition process, the judges have announced five finalists for each of its categories – Keyboard, Woodwind, Percussion, Brass and Strings.

The category finals will take place on March 6 to 10, followed by the semi-final on March 13.

The BBC Young Musician final will take place at the Barbican, London, on May 15.

The star-studded list of former BBC Young Musician winners and finalists includes Thomas Adès, Alison Balsom, Nicola Benedetti, Benjamin Grosvenor, Stephen Hough, Jennifer Pike and Paul Watkins.

Paul Bullock, editor, BBC Young Musician 2016, said: "BBC Young Musician provides a platform like no other and it’s always exciting to see the breadth and level of talent of the young musicians who enter. This year is no exception and we’re hugely looking forward to supporting all our finalists over the coming months and watching their progress through the contest."