Jon Wiseman showed a passion for music as a babe in arms and at the age of eight scooped his first guitar prize at the Oxford Music Festival.

Just a few years later the Kidlington musician won the Oxfordshire Young Soloist of the Year, an award which would bring him to the attention of the prestigious Royal Academy of Music (RAM).

Now 25, and having graduated from the RAM, he wants to share his talent and his love of the classical guitar with the world, starting in his village.

Mr Wiseman was adopted as a baby by Dr Phil Wiseman and his wife Julie, of Church Street in Kidlington – and quickly alerted his new parents to his appreciation of music.

And at the age of seven he started studying classical guitar under local teacher Jonathan Hill.

He said: “In my first year of lessons I went through four tutor books, which was unheard of.

“I also entered the Oxford Musical Festival and won my first guitar prize in the under 12 category.”

At just 14, he won the first Oxfordshire Young Soloist Competition which opened up a set of very important doors.

He said: “My teacher suggested I audition for the Junior department at the Royal Academy of Music. To my amazement they offered me a place which meant spending every Saturday in London studying with the acclaimed Michael Lewin.

“The first time I met Michael I asked timidly whether I would have to grow my fingernails like his – classical guitarists use their nails to produce a better focus to the sound, whereas unusually until then I had played with just the flesh.

“Michael replied: “Yes Jon, I’m afraid you will,” and since then I have had them longer on one hand and short on the other.

In 2011, Mr Wiseman joined the elite rank of guitarists who have won the Julian Bream Prize, an award for artistic excellence that is adjudicated by Bream himself.

And last year, he was awarded the Academy’s highest performance award for work of exceptional maturity.

He graduated with full honours in September. He said: “Since leaving I’ve been ploughing my energy into performing and teaching and of course keeping up my playing.

"Earlier this month I organised a concert at St Mary’s Church in Kidlington and was thrilled to see so many local people turn up to listen to an evening of classical guitar.”