Four performers booked their places in the grand final of the 2009 Evening Post Fry Club Search for a Star competition.

The competition ramped up another notch as 11 singers returned to the stage last night for the next phase of the competition.

Judges, former band member and radio producer Stuart Hobday, member of Bristol Light Opera Club and former chairman of Bristol Amateur Operatic Society Stuart Lee and record producer Ashley Loughlin put William Hardiman, Crystal Cooper, Tom Pepper and Natalie Perry through to the final stage of the competition.

The successful performers will take to the stage again on Sunday, May 17 when Search for a Star 2009 will reach its dramatic conclusion in the grand final.

Singer and guitarist William Hardiman, 17, from Backwell performed the Ray Charles song Hallelujah I Love Her So and a song he penned himself called Bridge Valley Road.

He said: "It was great. I like to see how my songs are received by an audience.

"I was relieved when they called my name out and now I'm going to get geared up for the final. Hopefully I'll play another of my own songs."

The Backwell Comprehensive pupil is also preparing for the regional finals of the competition Live and Unsigned next month.

Natalie Perry, 22, from Kingswood, performed You Give Me Something by James Morrison and added some dance moves for her rendition of Anastacia's I'm Outta Love.

She said: "I was really nervous but excited, but I felt it went well. I was shocked when my name was called out but excited to go through to the finals again, and this time I want to win."

Tom Pepper, 21, from Coombe Dingle, who works as a bar tender in the Harbourside venue the Living Room sang Amoureuse by Kiki Dee and Michael Ball's version of You Raise Me Up.

He said: "I was surprised to get through.

"There were so many good girls singing that when I saw they had chosen a guy I didn't think I'd go through too.

"Now I just have to keep practising and get everything right for the final."

Crystal Cooper, 16, travelled from Shaftesbury, Dorset for the semi final.

The teenager, who won Junior Search for a Star in 2006, sang Whitney Houston's Saving All My Love and encouraged participation from the audience as she performed Tina Turner's River Deep Mountain High.

She said: "I was shocked to get through because I thought I'd made a mistake.

"Now I will be practising over and again."

They had been whittled down from more than 100 contestants who battled through the heats and will be joined by performers from two more semi-finals.

The standard was high as the singers took their place under the bright lights and performed two songs each.

Sarah Walklett, a 22-year-old bartender from Hotwells performed I Will Be and Aretha Franklin's I Say A Little Prayer.

The youngest performer, 14-year-old Rosie Southern, of Backwell, sang Beyonce's If I Were a Boy, followed by Jennifer Hudson's And I am Telling You.

Amy Fussell, 15, from Warmley, returned to the semi-finals after winning through to the stage last year.

The Sir Bernard Lovell School pupil sang Christina Aguilera's Beautiful and Leona Lewis's Run.

Michael Crump, 15, from Weston-super-Mare, sang Will Young's Leave Right Now and Enrique Iglesias's Escape.

Sophie Warren, 18, from Patchway, started her performance with A Part of Your World from Disney's A Little Mermaid, before getting the audience involved with her rendition of Lulu's Shout.

Madilyn Nicholas, 45, of Kingswood, sang Hero by Mariah Carey followed by a lively performance of Anastacia's I'm Outta Love.

Chloe Sherwood, 20, from Stockwood, performed Rihanna's Take A Bow and Hero by Mariah Carey.

The remaining two semi- finals will take place on April 26 and May 10.

Tickets will cost £4 for adults and £2 for under-16s, with the evenings starting at 7.15pm. Tickets for the final will cost £6 for adults and £3 for children but will not be available until after the last semi-final.