Katherine Jenkins ‘will sing Carmen’

It escaped our attention in a busy month that the Welsh mezzo-soprano – popularly described as an opera singer though she has never performed in opera – will sing Carmen next summer at the Llangollen International Eisteddfod.

Or perhaps not.

Ms Jenkins, who is expecting a baby in the autumn, has agreed to sing ‘all the arias from Carmen’ but without the acting or the talky bits in between.

She said: ‘I’m really excited as it something I always wanted to do. I studied Carmen at the Royal Academy of Music before I graduated. It’s special as it was written for a mezzo soprano.

‘I’ve always talked about doing this and it will be the first time fans will be able to hear all the arias in one evening.

‘I do usually include several operatic arias in my concerts but I have never condensed and performed all the arias from a single opera into one concert.’

Almost a bullfight