PIANISTS Georgiana Fodor and Alexandra Dariescu and flautist Roxana Popescu are among the alumni returning to their school roots this weekend to perform at the Pocklington School Quincentenary Music Festival.

The festival will be held in the Tom Stoppard Theatre tomorrow and Sunday when former pupils combine forces with the latest crop of talented young musicians to celebrate the 500th anniversary of the school's foundation in 1514.

Choral works by Mozart, Rutter and Tavener are in the spotlight at tomorrow’s performance by the Pocklington School choir and orchestra. Georgiana Fodor plays Mozart’s Piano Concerto in C and fellow former pupil Roxana Popescu plays Mozart’s Flute Concerto in D.

On Sunday, visitors to Burnby Hall Gardens can enjoy music performed by Pocklington School Swing Band at the 2pm launch of their new CD, Quinswingtenary. This will be followed by an evening concert featuring former students Ioana Ilie, Andreea Georgi Chiriac and Lucy Butcher, performing the Mendelssohn Piano Trio Opus 49 in D minor, and a piano recital by Alexandra Dariescu.

Alexandra, who studied at Pocklington School from 2002 to 2003, gave her Royal Albert Hall debut performance with the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra last year, becoming the first ever Romanian female pianist to play the London hall. She was awarded the Woman of the Future Award in the arts and culture category and was selected for Forbes Magazine’s 30 Under 30 list.

She has released two CDs on Champs Hill Records and her 2013/14 diary has included debuts with the Hallé Orchestra, Bournemouth Symphony Orchestra, the Royal Northern Sinfonia and the KwaZulu Natal Philharmonic Orchestra in South Africa. This year she will perform with the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra and the Meklenburgische Staatskapelle Schwerin in Germany.

Georgiana Fodor, a pupil from 2000 to 2001, is completing a doctorate in performance and recording her debut CD and Roxana Popescu (2007 to 2008) is studying for a Masters degree in performance at the Zürcher Hochschule der Künste in Zurich. Ioana Ilie (2005 to 2006) teaches keyboard improvisation at the College of Music, Trossingen, Germany; Andreea Giorgi Chiriac (2001 to 2002) plays violin in the Stuttgart Radio Symphony Orchestra and Lucy Butcher (1996-2005) has graduated from the Royal Academy of Music, London.

Other Old Pocklingtonian musicians taking part in the weekend will be Ramona Racovicean (2003 to 2005); Adrian Calef (1999 to 2000); Harriet Smith (1997 to 2006); Sarah Sketchley (nee Bosworth, 1991 to 1998); Robin Hall (1953 to 1961) and Rachel Allison (2008-2013).

Tickets are still available for both 7.30pm concerts from the Pocklington School box office on 01759 321200 or via email to boxoffice@pocklingtonschool.com

Did you know?

Approximately half of Pocklington School's present pupils study at least one musical instrument.