TWO stars from the music world performed at Stowmarket Middle school last night, with youngsters to mark the opening of the school's new £400,000 art and music suiteThe gala concert featuring Evelyn Glennie OBE and Julian Lloyd Webber could have been sold out many times over, such has been the demand for tickets.

TWO stars from the music world performed at Stowmarket Middle school last night, with youngsters to mark the opening of the school's new £400,000 art and music suite

The gala concert featuring Evelyn Glennie OBE and Julian Lloyd Webber could have been sold out many times over, such has been the demand for tickets.

The concert was a welcome lift for the school, after vandals caused £20,000 damage during the summer, to musical instruments, computer equipment, text books, classrooms and student displays.

Julian Lloyd Webber has collaborated with an extraordinary array of musicians from Yehudi Menuhin, Lorin Maazel, Neville Marriner to Phil Collins and Cleo Laine.

His 20 year partnership with Philips/Universal Classics has produced many outstanding recordings, including his Brit-Award winning Elgar "Concerto".

Evelyn Glennie has carved a new place for solo percussion in the realm of classical music, has collected 53 awards including a Grammy, and has won the acclaim of the world's most venerable musicians and critics.

The new building comprises a music technology suite, music room, art studio and additional classrooms. Music is held in high regard at the school with the Suffolk County Music School providing lessons for more than an hundred of the school's pupils.

Headteacher Gordon Ewing, who has overseen the building project from planning to completion, said one of the school's families knew the agent who acts for both stars and was able to help make the approach.

He said: "We are grateful to all those who have made this really special. We highly rate our music skills in the school and to have such exemplars of classical music at the school is great for the children and gives them something to aim for."

The concert featured contributions from both stars and more than 100 pupils from the school orchestra and choir, and ended with a firework display.

One piece that the young musicians performed was aptly named "Music for the Royal Fireworks" by Handel alongside an arrangement of Lennon and Macartney's "She's leaving Home" re-arranged by school staff, Liz Elstone and Barry Fuell.