Classical BRIT Awards 2009

The Classical BRIT Awards will celebrate 10 glorious years with the presentation of the Lifetime Achievement Award to the legendary Spanish tenor, José Carreras.

Taking place on Thursday 14 May at the iconic Royal Albert Hall, the awards ceremony will feature a celebration of the work and influence of this distinguished performer and a stunning live performance.

On hearing the news, José Carreras said 'I was very happy and honoured to hear that The Classical BRIT Awards had offered me this distinction. I am particularly pleased that the ceremony takes place in London which is a city that has meant so much to me in my career over many years.'

The announcement of this year's awards, made by the BPI - the UK's music association, also revealed that Myleene Klass will return to host the event for a second year running and the multi-million selling Welsh mezzo-soprano Katherine Jenkins will perform alongside José Carreras.

'I'm so delighted to be back at the Classical BRIT Awards this year,' said Katherine Jenkins. 'Every year, I always find the importance of the Classical BRITs gets bigger and bigger; with great new talent like Faryl Smith breaking through, the Classical BRITs has never been more relevant.'

In addition to the Lifetime Achievement Award there will be seven awards handed out on the night as follows:

NS&I Album of the Year
Male Artist of the year
Female artist of the year
Composer of the Year
Young British Classical Performer or Group
Soundtrack of the year
Critics’ Award

Nominations for The Classical BRIT Awards 2009 with NS&I will be revealed at the nominations launch on Monday 20 April.
 
Tickets go on sale 9am Wednesday 4 March and are available from the Royal Albert Hall box office on 020 7589 8212 . Ticket prices range from £20 to £250 for a full dinner/show experience.

Monday 2 March