A new composition will kick-off a new season for the London Mozart Players, as they look to pay tribute to some of the greats of classical music.

In honour of Charles Dickens’s 200th birthday this year, Roxanna Panufnik, the associate composer, has composed a new piece of work that will kick off the 2012-13 season.

This will be combined with a pair of pieces showcasing the skills of guest soloist Nicolai Demidenko, one of the world’s top pianists.

The star musician will perform Chopin’s Piano Concerto No 1 and Mozart’s Haffner.

The contrasting scores, with the Chopin an expression of technical brilliance and passion, opposed to Mozart’s intimacy, should exhibit every inch of Demidenko’s talent.

As Fairfield Halls celebrates its 50th birthday on November 2, the Players, who are based at the venue, will present a night of diverse music and celebrated musicians.

Panufnik will again give a new composition its first public airing, alongside a full programme of music related to the Fairfield Halls.

Violinist Chloe Hanslip has been invited to join the Players and will lead the way on performances of Samuel Coleridge-Taylor’s Petite Suite de Concert, and compositions from Max Bruch and pieces by Malcolm Arnold, Hubert Parry and William Walton.

The group’s final Croydon appearance of 2012 will honour 100 years since the birth of British composer Benjamin Britten. Sally Matthews, the talented British soprano singer, will be performing in Britten’s Les Illuminations a wistful piece set to Rimbaud’s surreal and dream-like poems.

Other music will include Mozart’s highly regarded Symphony No. 29 and Schubert’s fourth symphony, named Tragic.

London Mozart Players; Fairfield Halls; October 4; 7.30pm tickets cost £12 to £31.50. Visit fairfield.co.uk for more.