Charlotte Hawkins

This week, Charlotte’s Young Classical Star is the British trumpeter Matilda Lloyd. Having discovered her father's old trumpet in a cupboard when she was eight years old, she took to the instrument and began lessons, eventually reaching the Royal Academy of Music in London and Trinity College, Cambridge.

Matilda’s debut album Casta Diva, to be released in April, showcases Italian operatic arias in brand-new arrangements for trumpet and orchestra. Originally recorded with Britten Sinfonia and Rumon Gamba, to celebrate the launch, Matilda tours this programme around the UK with string quintet and harp, culminating in a recital at Wigmore Hall.

The German cellist Raphaela Gromes is Charlotte's Young Classical Star, this week. Born in Munich, Raphaela had an early insight into the music industry through her parents, both of whom are cellists. She has won the German Music Competition, the German Record Critics’ Award, and most recently the Opus Klassik. Raphaela now performs on a rare 1740 Carlo Bergonzi cello, which was discovered neglected in an attic. Her recent album, recorded on that same cello, features 23 works by female composers, from Hildegard von Bingen to Billie Eilish.