Guests at the third annual Peace Classics Concert helped raise more than £4,000 for the Peace Hospice at the Purcell School in Bushey on Wednesday evening.

Mayor of Watford Dorothy Thornhill and mayor of Hertsmere councillor Pat Struck were among the audience of 200 who were in awe of the teen protégés from around the world performing for them.

Music ranged from Chopin and Bach to an up tempo jazz set and some student-written pieces.

Thirteen-year-old pianist Mackenzie Kavanagh brought a tear to the eye with two self-penned songs, "I don’t know what love is yet" and "I’ll fight for you" supported by Yasmin Strevens-Chen, Elvie Rogers and Malvina Karagianni on violin and Gabriel Davies on bass.

That contrasted hugely with the racey and cheeky "Halfa" ensemble featuring Owen Bunting on guitar, Thomas Videl on cello, Kristan Petrovic on violin and Atanas Dochev on percussion.

Roger Gagan, chief executive of Watford Chamber of Commerce and a member of the group that organised the event, said: "The young musicians were brilliant.

"There was something for everyone, from serious classical music to jazz."

Guest Mayor Thornhill meanwhile Tweeted effusively about the concert. She said we were lucky to have the wonderful young musicians from the Purcell School on our doorstep.

That sentiment was echoed by Frazer Ansell, Editorial Manager of the Watford Observer, who helped organise the event.

He said: "We really are lucky to have such a musical gem in our midst.

"This is the third year of the concert and it just gets better and better. The skill of the young musicians is quite frankly astonishing.

"It is a privilege for the newspaper to be involved in such a prestigious event, with some of the world’s finest young musicians and benefiting the wonderful Peace Hospice, in this the Watford Observer’s 150th year."

The evening was sponsored by the Blue Check restaurant which provided wine and fruit juice for the pre-concert reception and during the interval which included hot food prepared and served by catering students from West Herts College.

It has been a busy time for the catering students as just last week they helped out with the catering at the Brit Awards.