The popular Isca Ensemble will get its new season of concerts under way with a special blockbuster.

The ‘Saturday Night is Music Night’ will be held at Sidmouth Parish Church, on Saturday, February 2, and will closely follow the format of the famous BBC radio series Friday Night is Music Night.

The evening will feature a rich assortment of light orchestral music and jazz as well as five extremely versatile soloists, including Chris Gradwell (alto sax), Andrew Daldorph (piano), Jim Rintoul (bass), Steve Douglas (drums and percussion) and Joe Sharp (oboe).

The soloists will all be supported by the Isca Light Orchestra under the joint direction of Roger Hendy and composer Alfie Pugh.

There will be a highly varied up-beat programme containing the popular works by Eric Coates (Dambusters March, Knightsbridge March, Calling All Workers), Shostakovich (extracts from Jazz Suite No 2), Leroy Anderson (Bugler’s Holiday, Fiddle Faddle), Ronald Binge (Sailing by), Robert Farnon (Westminster Waltz), Ennio Morricone (Gabriel’s oboe from the film The Mission), Johann Strauss (Emperor Waltz) and others.

There will also be a performance of a fantastic, specially commissioned work by Exeter composer, Alfie Pugh.

His Journey of a Feline Mind has been written for jazz combo and string orchestra and consists of four brilliantly written movements.

This highly enterprising and original concert is not to be missed!

The Ensemble will also be presenting a classical concert of works by Wagner, Weber, Walton and Shostakovich in Sidmouth on Saturday, March 16, with the talented clarinettist, James Gilbert from London.

Tickets cost between £12 and £15.

There will also be reductions for students.

Visit www.ticketsource.co.uk and www.iscaensemble.org.uk or at Paragon Books, in Sidmouth High Street to buy tickets. Alternatively call 01395 514516.