A BUDDING young musician and a York singer-songwriter will be joining forces in a charity concert to raise money for The Press's Guardian Angels appeal.
Ruby Paul held auditions last week in search of a soloist to accompany her in a concert on Tuesday, April 8, in the basement bar at City Screen.
Ruby auditioned seven girls and chose 16-year-old Natasha Merritt, a pupil at Huntington School, as the winner.
Together they will raise funds for a new high-dependency unit at York Hospital, which will reduce the need for seriously-ill children in York to be transferred to hospitals further afield.
Ruby said: "The Search for the Voice of an Angel has uncovered a wealth of young talent. The standard was very high, with many of the applicants having entered previous competitions in York and been placed highly.
"I was spoilt for choice for my support act, but decided on Natasha as the winner. She sang her own song with a catchy refrain entitled Shut Up And Listen To Me, all about making her own way in the music business."
Natasha, who says she is influenced by performers like Kate Nash and Corinne Bailey Rae, accompanies herself on the piano. She has previously sung in school concerts and at St Andrew's Church.
Natasha has produced a CD of her own original songs which will be on sale on the night of the concert and she will be donating a percentage of the takings to The Guardian Angels appeal.
Ruby said: "I greatly enjoyed conducting the competition and meeting the young singers, whose talent and commitment was really inspiring."