Move over Andrew Lloyd Webber -- make way for Alexander Bermange.

Radlett's very own young composer looks set to become a great success in the world of musical theatre.

Looking forward to his final year at Oxford University, the 21-year-old student has spent the summer concentrating on his more creative side -- his love for all things musical.

Although he has been playing the piano and composing since the age of five, it is only in the last five years that his hobby has taken a more serious turn. The former pupil at Haberdashers' Aske's School now has three musicals under his belt. His biggest success though came on Monday last week when one of his songs appeared in a West End showcase alongside tunes from blockbusters such as Blood Brothers and Miss Saigon.

Twelve songs competed in this year's West End Cares Song Contest at The Talk of London in Drury Lane. All proceeds will go towards Crusaid, a charity for people living with Aids.

After staging Musicals -- Past, Present and Future last year, Alexander enlisted the help of Mark Marson and Leigh Anne Stone, both currently starring in Grease, to perform his duet The Threshold of Her Heart.

Despite not winning, Alexander was overjoyed to have had the chance to take part.

He said: "I was so thrilled to get into the finals and working with all these professionals. The whole experience was very rewarding for me and I learnt a great deal.

"I was absolutely delighted with how the performance went and it got a very good write up in the show music magazine, Masquerade."

All 12 entries will now be recorded on a CD to be released next year, and money raised from sales will benefit the charity.

But as a student at one of the country's two most prestigious universities, where does Alexander find the time for all this?

"For the past three years I have led a sort of Jekyll and Hyde existence -- being an Oxford undergraduate by day and frantically writing music at night.

"Music is more of a passion than a hobby, and it would be lovely to combine it with languages after completing my studies."

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