CHILD prodigy Cecilia Sultana De Maria has won three awards for harp playing at a prestigious London music festival.

Cecilia, 13, from Warminster, won the harp recital, harp solo and harp ensemble categories at the North London Festival of Music and Drama on Sunday.

The young harpist beat many older musicians to scoop the three first prizes in the open categories.

Mum Dorothea said: "We were very pleased and very proud of her. We thank God for her and her talent."

Judging the competition was celebrated French harpist Isabelle Perrin.

Mrs Sultana De Maria said: "She called Cecilia pure talent."

Next month, Cecilia is on tour in Malta. She will be performing a recital with Magdalen College choir from Cambridge University in front of 1,000 people in St John's Cathedral in the capital, Valletta.

Cecilia will follow this up by performing in front of 500 people in St George's Basilica in Victoria on Malta's second island, Gozo.

The teenager won a scholarship to the Purcell International School in London where she is in her first year. She is a weekly boarder at the school.