Brothers share musical genius.

Byline: VAL JAVIN

THEY are both classical musicians with huge talent at their fingertips. Brothers Jonathan and Tom Scott play in concert at St Paul's Hall in Huddersfield on Monday.

The brothers should provide a stunning start to the new season of Huddersfield Music Society concerts.

These are held on Monday nights once a month throughout the winter and feature high quality musicianship in an intimate setting.

The concerts continue until next spring and other artists featured in the programming include the prize winning Pavel Haas Quartet, three sisters from Japan who form the Fujita Piano Trio plus Florilegium, regarded as one of Britain's most outstanding period ensembles.

But the season's opening concert is in the capable musical hands of Jonathan and Tom Scott whose skills mean they play various keyboard combinations including piano duet, piano and organ and harmonium and piano.

The Manchester-born brothers have performed at all the major UK concert halls as well as at venues throughout Europe, South America and the Far East.

Their combination of entertaining programmes with a dynamic performing style has earned them great acclaim and many return visits.

Jonathan and Tom both studied at Chetham's School of Music and at the Royal Northern College of Music (RNCM).

Tom read Music on the joint course at The University of Manchester, gained the Thomas Beecham Medal for Excellence in his degree and subsequently achieved a distinction in his Masters degree.

He was just 17 when he made his concerto debut with the Hall Orchestra, playing Prokofiev''s Piano Concerto No.1 at the Bridgewater Hall, Manchester. Tom currently tutors at RNCM and the University of Manchester where he has recently completed his PhD.

Jonathan continued his studies in the USA and Holland and was awarded the W T Best Gold Medal by the Worshipful Company of Musicians. He went on to receive the Freedom of the City of London.

Now back in the north, he is currently on the keyboard faculty of RNCM and organist-in-residence at Salford University.

In addition to recent concertos with the BBC Philharmonic, Hall Orchestra and RPO, Jonathan has also recorded the piano music for the soundtrack to last year's film of Brideshead Revisited. Last summer, national music critics described his performance at the Royal Albert Hall of Gershwin's Rhapsody in Blue with English National Ballet as "scintillating".

The brothers have recently brought out CDs of duos for piano and organ and duets for piano which have been featured on Radio 2 and Radio 3. At Monday's concert in St Paul's, the duo will play two Steinway grand pianos. Their programme will include music by Shostakovich, Schubert, Ligeti, Saint Sans, Brahms, Ravel and Lutoslawski.

Tickets from the information centre or on the door.

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DOUBLE HANDER: Brothers Tom (left) and Jonathan Scott, play piano duets

at St Paul's Hall, Huddersfield, on Monday