THE Earl and Countess of Harewood will be the honoured guests at Ilkley's Manor House Museum this evening.

They will attend a preview of the new Manor House exhibition - Picturing Sounds by Alan Flood and Graeme Willson.

Both men have enjoyed a rare opportunity to study musicians at close quarters - Alan Flood with Opera North in Leeds and Graeme Willson with the programme of chamber music organised by Ilkley Concert Club.

Manor House spokesman said: "The results are not only a fascinating study of music in the making, but reveal how the spirit of sound is translated into the rich tonalities of an oil painting or through sensitive strokes of a drawing or etching.

"Both artists have reached beyond illustrating an orchestra or soloist at work towards an understanding of the creative act itself."

Graeme Willson was the artist in residence during the Ilkley Concert Club's 50th anniversary season.

"Out of an intense period recording most of the performers in rehearsal and in concert, this Ilkley-based artist has produced a vibrant group of paintings which not only document the experience of performance but also attempt to find a visual equivalent to musical sound," said the spokesman.

Alan Flood and Graeme Willson will be talking about their work in the Manor House Gallery on Saturday, September 19, at 1.30pm.

The exhibition, which opens to the public tomorrow, runs until September 27.

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