A pianist regarded as one of the most exceptional of his generation will perform twice this week.

Martin Cousin, who is seen playing Rachmaninoff’s breathtaking Piano Concerto No 3 in the Oscar-winning film Shine, will perform at the Bridport Arts Centre tomorrow, February 6, at 11am and The Hub, Lyme Regis on Saturday, 7, at 7.30pm.

After graduating from the Royal College of Music, Cousin has performed at major venues in London – including the Barbican and Royal Festival Halls, as well as taking to stages around the world with tours in New Zealand, Italy and the United States. The pianist’s talents have been recognised with a number of prestigious awards, including first prize at the 2005 Ettore Pozzoli Piano Competition in Italy and a gold medal at the 2003 Royal Overseas League Music Competition in London.

All of Cousin’s recorded work has been well received – particularly his second release from 2010, which featured Glazunov’s piano sonatas.

Highlights of his past three seasons include Rachmaninoff’s 2nd Concerto with the Philharmonica at Barbican Hall and Royal Festival Hall, Grieg’s Concerto at Symphony Hall.

Mozart’s Concerto K488 at Royal Festival Hall and a solo recital at Wigmore Hall. Cousin’s chamber music has also taken him to Prague, Tokyo, Indonesia, Zimbabwe and Barbados.

He is also a founder member of the Aquinas Piano Trio, who played a series of enormously popular concerts for Concerts in the West in 2013. Concerts in the West director Catherine Hodgson said: “The fact that Martin’s debut CD of Rachmaninoff’s Sonata No 1 and Morceaux de Salon in 2006 was chosen by the Dialy Telegraph as Classical CD of the week should give you an idea of the superb standard of his playing. So to have him launch Concerts in the West’s 2015 series is a real thrill.”