Many teenage boys dream of becoming a footballer or a musician. For one Woodside Park schoolboy, the opportunity to do both was very much a reality, until bad luck in one helped pave the way to success in the other.

At the age of 14, saxophonist Tyler Rix appeared on BBC2’s Classical Star, a competition to find a young classical musician with that special something.

Tyler, now 17, was also on the books with West Ham as a junior, but injury put paid to his ambitions as a professional.

“I got injured so I was released by the club,” says Tyler, who started out playing mini soccer in Borehamwood where he used to live. “When I was out injured that’s when I went into the [Classical Star] competition. It’s just fallen into place.”

He reached the semi-finals, and it was his television appearances that led to him landing a £1 million record deal with Universal Music. His debut album Ascent reached number one in the classical charts last year, and Tyler says getting signed to a major record label so soon was beyond his wildest dreams.

“It was the first competition I had ever entered,” he says. “Being around some really great musicians for three weeks was amazing. I learned so much.

“Just getting through in Classical Star was amazing. Getting to number one is mad. I look back and say how did I manage to do that?”

This Saturday, Tyler will be appearing with his band, the Tyler Rix Quartet, at a St George’s Day concert in Trafalgar Square, playing works by Piazzolla, Ennio Morricone, Monti and Bach.

Tyler is involved with Music First, an initiative arranged by Dame Alice Owen’s School in Potters Bar, which he attends, aimed at getting more children, from all backgrounds, involved in music. The organiser of the Trafalgar Square concert saw Tyler playing at a Music First event in February.

“It’s the most excited I’ve ever been about a concert,” he adds. “It’s like a Cup Final.”

The free St George’s Day concert takes place on Saturday, 1pm to 6pm, in Trafalgar Square. Details: www.london.gov.uk