Young trombonist Rhiannon, Year 10, has been selected from thousands of entries as one of the final five applicants in the Arts category of the Ambition AXA Awards.

Rhiannon impressed the judges with her impressive talent in playing the trombone. She passed her Grade 8 with distinction at the age of 11 and her ATCL performance diploma at 13 and is Principal Trombone of the National Youth Wind Orchestra of Wales and a member of the National Youth Brass Band of Wales.

The 14-year-old who attends Haberdashers’ Monmouth School for Girls who plays in the Greater Gwent Youth Orchestra, Jazz Orchestra, Symphonic Winds, Brass Ensemble and Brass Band now goes on to join her four other nominees in a public vote from Wednesday 2 to Sunday 6 November. The three nominees with the highest number of votes from each category will then go on to the Ambition AXA Awards finals which will be hosted by Carol Vorderman at the Royal Courts of Justice in London on 30 November.

Rhiannon said: “I would love to win an Ambition AXA Award to help me become the best trombonist that I possibly can and to try new experiences such as taking part in the International Trombone Festival or playing in the European Youth Orchestra.”

The winner will be selected by Alex James, musician;  Laura Gander-Howe, Director, Learning & Skills Strategy at The Arts Council England; Amanda Blanc, Chief Executive AXA Commercial Lines and former Headteacher and Chairman of the judges, Sir Alan Steer.

Sir Alan Steer, said: “The Ambition AXA Awards are all about helping nurture outstanding young talent, and we’d like to encourage people to therefore vote for the person they think is truly dedicated to their field and would reap the most reward from a bespoke development prize. With the public’s help, some of these talented youngsters could go on to have a real impact on the world in the future.”

The Ambition AXA Awards were launched in March to help support talented, ambitious and dedicated 11 to 18-year-olds in the fields of sport, enterprise, science, the arts, and the community.

To vote please visit http: www.ambitionaxaawards.com and click on the vote button.