The Halle – the resident orchestra at St George’s Hall – has been performing in Bradford for more than 100 years, and tonight it returns to the city for a concert featuring award-winning young pianist Andrew Tyson.

Andrew was born in North Carolina and is the inaugural winner of the Terence Judd-Hallé Award, set up in memory of brilliant young British pianist Terence Judd. Andrew was presented with the award, voted for by the Halle’s music director Sir Mark Elder and members of the orchestra, during the final of this year’s Leeds International Piano Competition.

Tonight’s concert, a romantic programme of Rachmaninov and Schubert, forms part of Andrew’s prize.

“It was a great honour for me to award, on behalf of the Halle and the Terence Judd Trust Fund, the first ever Terence Judd-Halle Award,” said Sir Mark Elder.

Andrew joins the Halle and conductor Cristian Mandeal to perform Rachmaninov’s romantic Second Piano Concerto. Well known as the theme of Brief Encounter, this romantic masterpiece moves from a passionately yearning central Adagio to a driven, glittering climax.

The second half of the concert sees Cristian conduct the Ninth and final symphony of Franz Schubert, The Great C Major. One of the most joyous and uplifting symphonies in the repertoire, it takes the listener on a delightful musical journey, ending in an energetic finale.

As a child pianist, Andrew was inspired by many musicians, but says if he had to choose only one it would be Alfred Cortot. “His teaching, his editions, writings and most of all his many recordings embody a kind of unbridled, heroic individualism and expressive spirit, the likes of which exist only in momentary flashes nowadays,” he says.

“I was introduced to his Chopin Ballades and Preludes when I was 14 and have been hopelessly addicted ever since.”

If he hadn’t shown such promise tickling the ivories, it’s likely that he would have ended up behind another kind of keyboard.

“The subject I was most enthralled with, other than music, was computer programming in school,” he says. “I suppose these two vocations are a bit like ships in the night. I’m just so grateful that piano has taken me where it has and that I have the privilege of playing the greatest music ever written.”

He adds: “The achievements I am most happy about are the ones nobody sees – those moments in practise when I find a new way to play a particular turn of phrase or do a certain voicing or rubato. The wonderful thing about practising the music we have at our disposal is that there is simply no end to the interpretive possibilities. As Schnabel said, ‘Great music is better than it can be played’.”

How does a piano maestro unwind after a performance?

“As we say in America, I ‘veg out’!” smiles Andrew. “Either that or I go out with friends. I love eating sushi. Sometimes if a performance is in the afternoon I might practise afterwards. I know that this is sad.”

Are there any guilty pleasures allowed in such a disciplined regime?

“Well there are a few. I rarely do it anymore – in fact I rarely listen to anything but classical music anymore – but I used to play electric guitar and I still get a kick out of playing one when the opportunity presents itself,” he says Ten years from now, the talented young pianist hopes to simply “play this wonderful music for people I love. That will make me happy.”

The Halle, with Andrew Tyson, is at St George’s Hall tonight. For tickets ring (01274) 432000.