A TALENTED student from Knutsford Studio school has taken his first steps into the limelight, securing a much sought-after place in the regional finals of a national singing competition.

Josh Whittaker was one of thousands of hopefuls to audition for Open Mic UK 2014, the biggest search for unsigned talent in the country.

He performed his rendition of Simon & Garfunkel’s ‘Homeward Bound’ in front of music industry specialists at Studio 25 in Manchester and won the judges over with his ‘tone and control’.

The Performance and Broadcast Media student will now go up against some of the North West’s most talented singers at the regional finals at The Royal Northern College of Music Opera Theatre on October 5.

“This is really what I want to do, and it’ll take a lot of hard work and a bit of luck, but I’m going to do my best at the regional finals and who knows?” said Josh.

Studio@Knutsford, which opened its doors this month, is hugely supportive of Josh on his Open Mic UK journey.

Headteacher Nicola Hall said: “I am thrilled that Josh has been successful in reaching the regional finals, we are incredibly impressed by his talent and delighted that he chose Studio@Knutsford as the school in which he wants to develop his skills, passion and education centred around his career pathways of choice.”