ONE of the world’s finest classical musicians, Julian Lloyd-Webber, is offering amateur cello players the chance to share the stage with him on his upcoming tour, which comes to Salisbury on April 20.

Lloyd-Webber said: “I’ve said if somebody comes with a cello, at the end – particularly if a young player comes with a cello – I’ll do an encore piece with Jiaxin on two cellos and hopefully they can play a bit themselves onstage and I might be able to offer a few tips.”

Julian expects the tour to be informal, interactive and family-friendly and said: “It’s not a stuffy evening; it’s not a typical classical concert in any way.”

Fans of the cellist will know that he was forced to retire from performing last year due to a neck injury.

He continues to tour regardless, but this time will leave the live music performances in the hands of his wife and fellow cellist Jiaxin and pianist Pan Chowran.

Lloyd-Webber will take on a different role telling stories and anecdotes from his impressive career.

The musician explained: “I will be introducing everything, showing some video clips of me working with a wide variety of musicians from Stephane Grappelli, Cleo Laine, even Elton John and, of course, the classical ones like Menhuin and composers I’ve worked with like Rodrigo and Philip Glass.

“I’ll be taking question and answer from the audience; it’s all going to be very, very informal.”

No longer able to perform, Lloyd-Webber is turning his hand to other areas in music: “I’m going to be doing some conducting.

“I’ve just made my first conducting CD, which actually will be out in time for the tour.

“It comes out at the beginning of March. So that’s a new departure.”

The cellist is “passionate” about music education and strongly believes that everyone should have the opportunity to get involved in music: “I think it’s all about access and that’s why I feel so strongly about it.

“If I had not been born into a musical family, I don’t know whether I would have discovered music or done music at all.

“People need access to it and it shouldn’t just be people that can pay.”

The musician is currently working with two charities; he is the founder of In Harmony, which aims to bring positive change through music to disadvantaged children and also works with Live Music Now, set up by friend and colleague Yehudi Menhuin.

On Live Music Now, Lloyd-Webber said: “Young students leaving the music colleges often don’t have enough work and so they get paid – not a huge amount, but they do get paid – to go into hospices, care homes, that kind of situation, and special needs schools as well.

“So they are learning a lot about life, getting to earn some money and obviously their performances are very beneficial to those kinds of people.”

Tickets are available from cityhallsalisbury.co.uk or on 01722 434434.