BOX office records have been smashed at Queen’s College in Taunton.

A concert this weekend in Taunton, featuring legendary guitarist John Williams, sold out in 49 minutes.

The Sunday (June 17) leg of “Six Hands” – a 15-date national tour by Williams with friends John Etheridge and Gary Ryan – saw more than 5,000 people apply for tickets.

The demand for tickets has been hailed by Taunton Arts Alliance chair, Jo Moore, as another successful step towards achieving local arts groups’ ambitions of transforming the town into a leading regional centre for worldclass music and entertainment.

She said, “We cannot thank Queen’s College enough for developing a concert hall fit to host the world’s finest musicians.

“The fact that high-profile, popular events like the John Williams concert can now take place in Taunton is not only a great boost to the town’s reputation, but it also helps us to prove what a huge demand there is in the area for top quality music.”

Now in his 70s, John Williams is widely acclaimed as one of the finest guitarists and has been described as the most technically accomplished guitarist the world has seen.

He became a household name in the 1980s when his recording of “Cavatina” became a UK Top 20 hit having been used as the theme music on Robert de Niro and Meryl Streep’s hit Hollywood film, “The Deer Hunter”.

Williams and Etheridge will play some of their most popular pieces together and Ryan will playing his own “Benga Beat”, which has proved popular since he first performed it at Shakespeare’s Globe Theatre on London’s South Bank in 2015.

For news of any ticket cancellations you should call the box office hotline on 01823 451162 or you can alternatively email ticketsonline@email.com