A TALENTED Chester singer has hit all the right notes this half term.

Olivia Hunt, who celebrates her 16th birthday tomorrow, has been in a top competition, a radio star and on an international tour during her mid-term holdiay from Abbeygate College in Saighton.

The young Chester Cathedral chorister was a finalist in the BBC Radio 2 Young Choristers of the Year 2009 competition.

She said: “It was amazing. It was the best experience I’ve ever had.”

Olivia made it to the final eight in the competition which was broadcast on Radio 2 last Sunday.

She didn’t win the title but according to cathedral director of music Philip Rushforth was clearly the runner-up.

He said: “I am very proud of Olivia. She did the cathedral proud and from where I was sitting there was no sign of nerves.”

Olivia was interviewed by Songs of Praise presenter Aled Jones before singing in front of an audience of 2,000 people at St Paul’s Cathedral in London which included her mum Sue, grandparents, auntie and uncle.

“He asked me how I got into singing,” said Olivia, who admitted that she had been inspired by an edition of Songs of Praise filmed at Chester Cathedral when she was a member of The Firs School choir.

The competition was judged by Lindsay Gray, director of the Royal School of Church Music, singer Barbara Dickson, singer and vocal coach Carrie Grant and composer Karl Jenkins.

Following the competition, which was won by Jacquelyne Hill from West Sussex and Laurence Kilsby from Gloucestershire, Olivia went to Brussels to meet the choir for a tour of Bruges and Paris.