The charity established by the composer Andrew Lloyd Webber has donated money to a training programme at Scottish Opera.

The Andrew Lloyd Webber Foundation has given £10,000 to Scotland's national opera to support two year long traineeships for professional repetiteurs.

Repetiteurs are a key part of an opera company, who coaches singers and plays the piano for rehearsals.

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The new posts will go to "talented music graduates or early career musicians to develop their careers and experience in Scotland’s national touring opera company."

Madeleine Lloyd Webber, trustee of the Andrew Lloyd Webber Foundation and the wife of Baron Lloyd Webber, said: "Repetiteurs are vital in the opera and musical theatre industry.

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"This opportunity offers unique high quality training and mentoring with a renowned opera company and will establish the career of an emerging artist.We wish the recipients every success."

The selected Andrew Lloyd Webber Foundation Repetiteurs will receive training and will work on rehearsals, go on tour with productions and to play at recitals, coaching sessions and in the Orchestra.

The repetiteur in 2016/17 will be Maria Struckova.

This new grant follows an initial £10,000 awarded in 2015 to fund the first Andrew Lloyd Webber Foundation repetiteur, Philip Voldman.

The foundation, founded in 2010, has awarded more than £13.6m to more than 255 recipients across the UK and abroad.

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Derek Clark, head of music at Scottish Opera, said: "Scottish Opera is thrilled to be awarded this grant from the Andrew Lloyd Webber Foundation.

"The repetiteur position is part of our Emerging Artists programme which gives young artists the opportunity of a lifetime – a period of full-time work with the Company to help them launch their careers. The grant will provide vital support for this role, and make an invaluable contribution to a young musician’s career."