A TESTAMENT to the phrase don't judge a book by it's cover, the four fresh faces of the Consone Quartet brought years of experience to Ilminster last week.

The group performed at the Ilminster Arts Centre on Friday with a variety of classical and early romantic music from Schubert, Beethoven and Mozart.

Made up of Agata Daraskaite and Magdalena Loth-Hill on violins, Louisa Tatlow on viola and George Ross playing the cello, the group have a series of awards both individually and as a collective.

In July, the quartet were recognised at the York Early Music International Young Artists Competition where they were awarded the EUBO Development Trust Prize, and they have also been rewarded with a place on the Eeemerging European Ensembles programme.

And in 2013 they was awarded the Century Fund Prize in the RCM Historical Performance Competition.

The Ilminster Arts Centre event was organised by Concerts in the West.

The organisation's founder and director, Catherine Hodgson, said: "These wonderful musicians don't restrict themselves to playing on only period instruments. Each member of the quartet is also a modern string player, which clearly demonstrates their versatile accomplishments.

"Despite their young ages, they are all highly professional musicians with many performances at top level venues and reams of awards."

The Quartet are already in demand, having performed for the BBC programme, "Between the ears," which was broadcast on Radio 3.

Individually, the quartet have also played as part of the London Philharmonic Orchestra, the Royal College of Music Symphony Orchestra, on BBC Radio 3's In Tune, and in Buckingham Palace.