LONDON, March 20 (UPI) -- Welsh opera singer Katherine Jenkins has signed a $1.8 million recording contract in Britain with Universal, Luciano Pavarotti's record label.
It's the biggest record deal for a new classical artist in British history, Sky News reported Saturday.
The 23-year-old mezzo-soprano from Neath, Wales, will release her debut album -- a mix of opera arias, classical arrangements, British folk and Welsh songs -- next month.
"I want to be respected by lovers of classical music," said the Royal Academy of Music graduate, who until recently taught music at a primary school in Stevenage, England.
"But it is just as important to me to be able to reach out to some new people."
Jenkins has performed at the Sydney Opera House and sang the Welsh national anthem at the Wales' rugby home games.
