A TALENTED teenager has been named young musician of the year for her "extraordinary dexterity" on the saxophone.

Hannah Corcoran, 19, from Hove, won the Coro Nuovo choir’s Young Musician of the Year award - which comes with a bursary - at a public concert earlier this month.

She plans to put the £500 bursary towards the cost of a new sax - which will set her back more than £4,000.

Multi-instrumentalist Hannah, who also plays clarinet and was principal flautist of the Brighton Youth Orchestra, told The Argus: “It’s only just sinking in now. I felt absolutely amazing I couldn’t really believe it. It’s really special.

“All the others had played so extraordinarily, I just feel really honoured that I was chosen by the audience as well as the judges.”

The finals for the Sussex-based award took place at a Shakespeare-themed concert in Haywards Heath on July 17.

Hannah beat three other finalists to win the bursary of £500 to help her continue her third year studies at The Royal Northern College in Manchester.

She said she chose her piece - Fantasie Brillante sur Carmen by Francois Bourne - hoping it would resonate with listeners.

“People will recognise tunes in it, it’s got a lot of themes from the opera Carmen, which people recognise but don’t necessarily know where from, and then it’s got lots of twiddly bits on top", she said.

“It’s really fun to perform.”

Chair of Coro Nuovo, Kate Kent, said: “The judging panel, headed by Coro President Dame Josephine Barstow, together with an audience participation vote, overwhelming chose Hannah for her extraordinary dexterity and talent on the saxophone.”

“We are delighted to help Hannah on her way in her musical career, and also hope to be able to inspire more young musicians to enter in 2017.”

The Coro Nuovo Bursary was set up to help and encourage emerging young musicians from Sussex to further their careers and gain recognition, as well as giving them performance opportunities.

Hannah has won musical recognition several times previously.

Last year she was appointed first-call saxophone at the Young Musicians Symphony Orchestra last year and came joint-first in the Springboard Festival’s Under 19’s Concerto Competition in Brighton