Child prodigy for Jazz Festival

The incredibly gifted Andreas Varady, originally from Slovakia but now living in Limerick, has been playing the guitar since the age of four.

Andreas was visiting Derry with his father Bandi, another highly regarded guitar player, and the renowned Jazz musician David Lyttle, who will be performing with the young star when he appears here as part of the Festival.

Andreas said: "I am looking forward very much to playing in Derry, especially playing with David and all the guys, it's going to be great.

"I started playing guitar when I was four. I liked the guitar because when I listened to it, it was such a cool sound and I knew I wanted to play it, I thought it was so enjoyable.

"I like Jazz mainly because of the improvisation - you can really do your own thing. I find improvisation easy because it just comes from you, you play what you like, and you can make mistakes but that just means that you're trying out new stuff and that's good. You are playing from your heart. It's just good fun too, and I always enjoy it.

"This is my first time in Derry but it seems like a really nice city, and I'm looking forward to coming back to play in the Festival. I think Derry is definitely in with a good chance of winning the City of Culture award, especially with things like the jazz festival."

Andreas Varady will be playing in Sandinos as part of the City of Derry Jazz and Big Band Festival on Sunday May 2nd at 3pm.

This festival is arranged for you by Derry City Council in partnership with DCAL/NITB's Major Events Fund and Diageo/Guinness.

For further information visit www.cityofderryjazzfestival.com or follow festival updates on the City of Culture2013Facebook site.