JORDANIAN-PALESTINIAN pianist Iyad Sughayer, who will be playing a concert in Salisbury, has won the prestigious 2018 Trinity Laban Gold Medal award.

The award win comes after a sell-out showcase of recitals at world-class cultural hub Kings Place in London.

Iyad will be playing at Salisbury Methodist Church on tonight (Friday, February 16) as part of a quartet of Palestinian musicians.

On winning the award, Iyad said: “It is an absolute honour to be this year’s Gold Medal winner. Last night was truly a wonderful experience and I will remember it for a very long time. I was overwhelmed by the audience’s response and support. Huge congratulations to the finalists who were all truly remarkable.”

Adjudicator David Pickard, Director of the BBC Proms, said: “It has been a wonderful privilege and honour to be here. I’ve had the most wonderful evening and I stand in awe of what these composers and performers have done tonight. They have all been exceptional in their technical assurance, their musicality, and their ability to communicate.”

Iyad will play in Salisbury alongside flautist Wissam Boustany and Tibah and Omar Saad, a brother and sister from the Galilee on cello and viola respectively.

The quartet will perform pieces from the Western classical canon, including Bach, Beethoven and Liszt. The concert will also feature a piece by multi-award winning Arab composer Tarek Younis. Tickets for the concert, which is being arranged by Sarum Concern For Israel/Palestine, are available by emailing thehick@btinternet.com or by calling 01722 349740.