THE unique young pianist Nicholas McCarthy was born without his right hand. He started to play the piano at the age of 14, inspired, having heard a friend play a Beethoven sonata.

Since then, Nicholas’s studies have taken him through the prestigious Royal College of Music to a career as a solo pianist in the UK, Europe, US, South Africa and Korea.

He performed with the British Para Orchestra at the closing ceremony of the 2012 Paralympic Games.

Tonight, Nicholas will be performing a programme of music by Scriabin, Gershwin, Liszt, Chopin, Rachmaninov and much more at the Plaza Centre, Southchurch Road, Southend, at 8pm.

Tomorrow night, the Southend Festival Chorus and Appollo Baroque Orchestra, directed by Robbie Jacobs, will perform Haydn’s oratorio Creation at St Saviour’s Church, Westcliff, at 7.30pm.

In Chelmsford Cathedral tomorrow, the Waltham Singers will be performing Mendelssohn’s Elijah at 7.30pm, while the Essex Symphony Orchestra will also be performing tomorrow in Chelmsford, at Christ Church at 7.30pm, in a programme of music by Wagner, Nielsen and Beethoven.

On Sunday, there’s a chance to hear the Writtle Singers in a concert at the beautiful All Saints Church in Writtle, at 6pm.

At the Cliffs Pavilion in Westcliff, the Prague Symphony Orchestra will be performing music by Smetana, Dvorak and Beethoven at 7.30pm.