BOLTON composer Simon Holt has been honoured at a national award ceremony for his work, A Table of Noises.

Simon, who was brought up in Four Lane Ends, won the Orchestral category of the British Composer Awards, which were held on Tuesday.

The glitzy event, which was hosted by the British Academy of Songwriters, Composer and Authors, was held at London’s Law Society, and the hall was packed to capacity.

The judges unanimously chose his work as the winner, saying: “This work shows an extraordinary sense of beguiling and haunting instrumental sonorities, defining a piece of breathtaking originality, imagination, invention and wit”.

Simon said: “It was a shock, a real surprise. I wasn’t sure how it was going to go, which I think was probably a good thing.”

The composer, who now spends much of his time in Spain, studied at Bolton Art College before going on to the Royal Northern College of Music.

This is the second time he has won a British Composer Award, the first being in 2004 for Who Put Bella In The Wych Elm?

He has also previously won the Ivor Novello Classical Music Award and the Royal Philharmonic Society Award.