A SINGER from Ilkley who has embarked on a professional career is preparing to perform back in his hometown.

Twenty three year old Tristram Cooke, who was born in Ilkley but is now based in London, is a countertenor - a distinctive male voice category whose range is equivalent to that of a female contralto.

On Friday, August 19 he will present A Lunchtime Feast of European Romantic Song at St Margaret's Church, accompanied by pianist Graham Thorpe.

The recital will begin at noon and have as its centrepiece Schumann's song cycle Liederkreis opus 39.

The concert, an Ilkley Summer Festival event, will also feature songs by Richard Strauss, Hugo Wolf, Ernest Chausson, Claude Debussy, Frederick Delius and Roger Quilter.

Reviews contributor for the Ilkley Gazette, Geoffrey Mogridge, is looking forward to the show.

He said: "The tonal quality of Tristram's voice could be described as rich and creamy. His instrument has an agility and flexibility that is equally suited to florid 18th century vocal styles as it is to such "modern" composers as Benjamin Britten.

"Music lovers lucky enough to have been present at the talented young singer's recital in St Margaret's church almost two years ago will recall his luminous performance of Oberon's aria I Know a Bank Where the Wild Thyme Blows, from Britten's opera A Midsummer Night's Dream.

"Since that very well received concert, many solo engagements have followed including Bach's St Matthew and St John's Passions, as well as the Mass in B Minor.

"Tristram also regularly deputises for the choirs of Westminster Abbey, St Paul's and Southwark Cathedrals."

Mr Cooke, who recently achieved his Performance MA (with Distinction) from the Royal Acadmey of Music, also gives performances of Bach cantatas for Lutheran Vespers at the church of St Mary-at-Hill, London.

Tickets for his Ilkley performance cost £8 in advance and are available from Grove Bookshop and Music, on The Grove, and Ilkley Visitor Information Centre.

Advance tickets can also be booked online at tristramcooke.com, or by calling (01943) 602521.

Tickets on the door will cost £10.