The multiple award-winning New Zealand singing sensation, Hayley
Westenra, will be the star of the Classic FM concert which will follow the last
race on Thursday 13th July, the middle day of the July Festival at Newmarket,
England.
The 18-year-old shot to fame at the age of just 15 when she
made her international debut with the launch of her album, Pure, in 2003.
Characterised by its breath-taking natural beauty, her voice
enabled Pure to reach some notable landmarks. The album, which has sold two million
copies to date, topped the UK classical charts and also went Top Ten in the pop
equivalent. In her homeland, it is the biggest-selling New Zealand album of all
time. In Japan - where Hayley enjoyed a No. 1 single with Amazing Grace - she
was the most popular classical artist of 2004 and won two Japanese Grammies.
She has performed in front of presidents, prime ministers and
royalty, has duetted with Andrea Bocelli, José Carreras, Bryn Terfel and
Russell Watson, and has sung live at many prestigious sporting events in the
UK, USA, New Zealand and Australia.
In Westenra's new album, Odyssey, her exceptional voice retains
its crystal-clear purity, but her singing is now richer and more rounded than
before. Touring the world and singing in some of its greatest concert venues,
such as the Sydney Opera House, Royal Albert Hall and Carnegie Hall, has worked
wonders for her confidence. Suitably emboldened, she has embraced an even wider
range of musical styles including classical, hymns, folk and pop.
"Following a sensational inaugural Classic FM concert
by Katherine Jenkins at last summer's July Festival, we are thrilled that Hayley
Westenra will be the star of this year's event," enthused Lisa Hancock,
Managing Director of Newmarket Racecourses. "I think she will stun a lot
of people who may not have heard her amazing voice before."
Newmarket has made a huge success of its concerts held after
racing has finished during its traditional July racing carnival, and they regularly
attract the top names from the music world to perform.
