Classical music superstar Alison Balsom will be swapping the Hollywood Bowl for a more intimate audience when the 2014 Royston Arts Festival gets underway this week.

One of the world’s leading trumpeters, Miss Balsom will be taking part in a one-off ‘an audience with…” style event at Greneway School as part of the ten-day festival programme, which starts on Friday.

She will talk about her rise to classical stardom, ranging from her roots playing trumpet while attending Greneway and Meridian Schools to becoming the 2013 Gramophone Artist of the Year and her flourishing international career.

Miss Balsom has just returned from America, where she played with the Los Angeles Philharmonic Orchestra at the 17,000 capacity Hollywood Bowl.

Arts festival chairman Graham Palmer believes the event is one of a number which will help take the popular festival to “a different level”.

He said: “Creative Royston has lost nothing of its ambition in creating events and activities which can involve the whole community.

“Indeed, the key to success has been the number of events which involve local groups and their enthusiasm in taking part in the arts festival.

“The Creative Royston committee has organised a number of key events which again we hope will take the arts festival to a different level,”

As part of the event on Saturday, September 27, Miss Balsom, who is president of Creative Royston, will take a student from the Royston Music School through a short master-class. All profits from the evening will be donated to Brass for Africa, a charity which supports a life-changing music programme for disadvantaged children.

This year’s theme is Heroes and Villains and will include about 50 events, exhibitions and workshops running from Friday, 19 September to Sunday 28 September.

Highlights will include a comedy night at the Royston Picture Palace, featuring Scotland’s funniest newcomer Iain Stirling, described by GQ as “one of the best joke writers on the circuit”, and Letchworth’s own Howard Read. For a full festival programme, log on to www.roystonartsfestival.org.