Rochester Royal Opera House fanfare competition winner

Covent Garden is home to the Royal Opera and Royal Ballet companies

A Kent schoolboy is a winner in a composition competition run by the Royal Opera House (ROH), Covent Garden.

Sam Hall, 16, from Rochester created a fanfare of less than 30 seconds and submitted it online.

His fanfare was among ten winning entries which will be played in the ROH's front of house areas from May.

The fanfares will replace the traditional bell which signals the audience to take its place in the auditorium.

Now in its second year, the annual online fanfare competition was designed to nurture musical talent in young people and to encourage a fun and creative approach to music-making.

The winners were chosen by a panel of judges which included Antonio Pappano, Music Director of The Royal Opera and Barry Wordsworth, Music Director of The Royal Ballet.

Sam will take part in orchestration workshops with composer Duncan Chapman and attend the recording of his fanfare by the Orchestra of the Royal Opera House in April.

All the winners will also be invited to attend a performance at the Royal Opera House to hear the premiere of their fanfares as they are broadcast to the audience for the first time and will be credited in the performance programme.