Brighton Festival's lunchtime recitals always prove something of a good hunting ground for people who love live classical music.

This year, there are concerts every lunchtime at a new venue, the Pavilion Theatre. The recitals last for about one hour and each is a showcase for an up-and-coming talent.

Most of the artists are just out of college, have won prizes and are ready to launch their careers.

This year, an added element is that BBC Young Generation Artists have been invited. This is for slightly older musicians contracted to the BBC for one or two years and who, effectively, have the corporation as their managers.

The series begins on Monday, May 6, with a recital by young Belgian clarinetist Ronald Van Spaendonck and French pianist Alexander Tharaud. They will be performing works by Brahms and Weber.

They are followed on May 7 by Tim Garland, a former saxophonist with the Ronnie Scott Band and a rising jazz star. He will be performing works by Steve Reich and Duke Ellington.

Bones Apart is a rare form of music-making: An all-woman trombone quartet. They graduated last year and already have two CDs to their name and an appearance on television with Richard and Judy. They'll be playing Vivaldi and Handel.

Sitar-player Purbayan Chatterjee takes centre stage on May 9. He has been playing the sitar since he was nine, learning from a number of gurus.

Of particular interest is the appearance on May 10 of soprano Emma Bell. Emma is a Young Generation artist who has already sung at Glyndebourne.

She has a richly-coloured voice and will sing songs by Faure and Ravel, among others.

New Zealand baritone Jonathan Lemalu, another Young Generation artist, is on stage on May 13.

Already a prize-winner, he has won plaudits for his Doctor Bartolo in both The Marriage Of Figaro and The Barber Of Seville. He will perform Schubert's song cycle Schwanengesang.

Josephine Oniyama, who performs on May 14, has a background in acoustic, soul, folk and indie music.

She is described as a combination of Macy Gray and Tracy Chapman, she has performed with Ladysmith Black Mambazo and toured with Richard Thomson, Hugh Masekela and Eliza Carthy. She is a songwriter of rare talent.

The Zephyr Ensemble is a five-piece wind group from London who formed in 1997. They come to Brighton on May 15 with a programme by Poulenc, Mendelssohn and Mozart.

Trio AAB draw on a wide variety of influences such as ECM-style jazz and Celtic folk sounds. The trio appears on May 16 to give a jazz swing to lunchtime.

Celebrating its tenth anniversary on May 17, the Emperor String Quartet will perform William Walton's first quartet, just recorded on a new CD and, to mark Scottis Opera's visit with Monster, works by Sally Beamish.

Pianist Stanislav Ioud-entich was born in Uzbekistan. His May 20 recital will include Liszt's Spanish Rhapsody, Mozart's A minor sonata and Stravinsky's Petrushka.

Jazz pianist Nikki Yeoh has worked with everyone from Courtney Pine to Neneh Cherry. She is in the city on May 21. All jazz fans should catch her notable improvisations.

Another Young Generation artist plays on May 22. He is Macedonian pianist Simon Trpceski.

He has been described as having phenomenal technique and the intelligence to know how to use it. His recital will be of works by Chopin and Brahms.

During the 1972 socialist revolution in Madagascar, Dama was a teenage poet and member of the highly influential band Mahaleo.

Thirty years on and he has been a politician, author, agriculturalist and now a troubador. On May 24, he will be singing with just a percussionist. Dama is one of the most beloved and highly respected singers in Madagascar.

The final artists in the series are cellist Marie Macleod and pianist Christopher Ross. Marie, 21, was a finalist in the BBC Young Musician Of The Year competition and an Eastbourne Young Musician Of The Year.

They will play works by Beethoven, Schumann and Debussy.

All the recitals begin at 1pm and tickets cost £6.