A FOURTEEN-year-old soprano from Menston is stepping into the shoes of a top singer to sing alongside her brother in the Messiah.

Bradford Grammar School pupil and up-and-coming tenor Daniel Wellings, 16, was to star alongside an Opera North soprano singing Handel's Messiah in Meanwood, Leeds, next month.

But when the soprano pulled out of the performance, the organisers agreed to take on another member of the same family - Daniel's sister, Sophie.

Their mother, Linda Wellings, said: "She has been singing since she was about nine, and I think she is now thinking about becoming professional. Daniel went semi-professional two years ago. He had invitations to go down to the Royal Academy, and they said he is one of the best counter tenors they have ever heard."

The two have performed together before, at a recital in Manchester.

Daniel, who was the winner of the BBC Live regional youth competition 2000, hopes to turn professional after university. And now Sophie is also considering a career in the music world. She has already been successful in local musical festivals and is also an accomplished pianist and flautist.

Other members of the Menston family aim to hit the high notes - younger sister Lucy, nine, has started singing at competition level, and brother Tim, 13, also sings. Meanwhile, parents Linda and Ian both sing with the Ben Rhydding- based chamber choir, Pinsuti.

Handel's Messiah, directed by Christopher Rathbone, is on April 7 at Holy Trinity Church in Meanwood, Leeds.