TWO talented student musicians from Ulverston have been selected as winners in a national composing competition and their fanfares will be played at Royal Opera House.

A-Level music students, Tabi Butler and Alex Nicklin, of Ulverston Victoria High School, have composed 25 second fanfares which they will now develop with professionals at the Royal Opera House and have them played at the iconic London venue throughout next season.

The 17-year-olds have been named among the 10 winners in the UK-wide contest. They had to compose fanfares for a full symphony orchestra that incorporate at least two main themes from at least two operas that the Royal Opera House will be performing.

The students have now been invited to attend the Royal Opera House in March and April. In March they will develop their compositions with composer and highly renowned educator Steven Berryman, players from the Royal Opera House Orchestra and Masters of Composition students from The Royal Academy of Music. They will take their work to the next level by working with their composition mentor from The Royal Academy of Music Masters of Composition Course. The mentor will be on hand to help the winners refine and polish their piece in the time between the orchestration workshop recording day in April.

Tabi and Alex will be back in the capital in April to hear their fanfares played and recorded by the Royal Opera House Orchestra Orchestra under the direction of Music Director and conductor Sir Antonio Pappano. Their recorded fanfare will then be played at every main stage performance throughout the Royal Opera House 2018/19 season, letting the audience know when it is time to take their seats both pre-show and at the intervals.

Tabi, who plays soprano, alto and tenor saxophones, piano, guitar, drums and also sings, “As an aspiring musician and composer, I am incredibly grateful and thrilled to be a winner. I’m hoping that this can help me lead a career where I want to go in music.”

Alex, who plays the piano and flute, said: "It was definitely unexpected, but I’m very grateful for this opportunity and super excited to go to London and meet the professionals”

Richard Butler, assistant headteacher and head of performing arts at Ulverston Victoria High School, said: "It goes without saying that the school is immensely proud of Tabi and Alex and we hope that this is a stepping stone to a great future in music for them." Tabi and Alex are the only students from north of Leicester, and from one of only three state schools, to be winners.