AGED just six-years-old Laura Tivendale’s grandmother gave her her first musical instrument – a violin. The rest, as they say, is history and last week, the 27-year-old from Essex was named the winner of the ninth Broadwood Harpsichord Competition at Fenton House.

Recalling her early influences, Laura, who grew up in Aythorpe Roding, tells me: “My grandmother, on my dad’s side, was a professional musician who trained at the Royal Academy of Music as a violinist and pianist. She died when I was ten, but when I was little she lived next door and I would walk down the garden path to her house with my violin and play for her.

“My mum is a primary music school teacher and my cousin is a professional organist, so I was always surrounded by music when I was younger.”

Laura followed in her grandmother’s footsteps, and began learning the piano aged just eight-years-old. As her talent flourished, she knew a career in music beckoned, but curiosity and a touch of chance led her to the harpsichord.

“By coincidence, my first two piano teachers both played the harpsichord, so the harpsichord was there from an early age as I would go and listen to them perform. My second teacher was Virginia Black, the well know harpsichord performer. Before I went to college, I thought it would be nice to take a second study, so I had a lesson and soon realised how much I loved it.”

Laura stuck to her original plan of going to Birmingham Conservatoire to study piano and completed two years of her degree, before again following in her grandmother’s footsteps and transferring to the Royal Academy of Music, “which has a fantastic ancient music department”, to study the harpsichord.

Fast forward to the present day and Laura has no regrets. Graduating in 2007 with a first class honours and an LRAM from the Royal Academy, the Highgate-based musician has gone on to work with many distinguished musicians including Laurence Cummings, Nicolette Moonen and Simon Standage. She has performed live on BBC3 with her ensemble Little Baroque Company, and is busy passing on her knowledge as a teacher at the Junior Royal Academy of Music and Queen’s College London.

However, there is one achievement that stands out above the rest.

“The Broadwood Harpsichord Competition is something I have been working towards for a long time,” she says. “It’s the main British harpsichord competition and it’s a big achievement for a British harpsichordist to win it.”

What made the competition “particularly special” was the fact that Laura got to play three instruments from the historic Benton Fletch Collection of Early Keyboard Instruments – the 1664 Hatley virginals, the 1600 Vincentius virginals and the 1761 Shudi harpsichord.

As part of the prize, Laura will perform the final gala recital in the 2009 Concert Series at Fenton House, on August 13, when she will play the elaborate Shudi & Broadwood Harpsichord (1770).

She has also been offered prestigious engagements at the Cobbe Collection at Hatchlands, Surrey, at Finchcocks, Kent, and at the Russell Collection, Edinburgh in 2010.

But if you can’t wait till then, Laura will be performing a varied and personal programme reflecting the “power, charm and excitement of the harpsichord”, including works by Bach, Scarlatti, Rameau and Handel at St John’s Arc this Sunday.

“I have meet people who tell me they don’t like the harpsichord, and it’s my job to win these people around and to show them what the harpsichord can do,” Laura concludes.

“It can be very beautiful and it’s an instrument full of expression. One of my ambitions is to widen its appeal.”

Laura will perform the Essential Harpsichord at St John’s Arts and Recreation Centre, Old Harlow, Essex, on Sunday, May 31, 7.30pm. Tickets: 01279 442447 or www.stjohnsarc.org.uk (£12-£15)