RISING star Katherine Jenkins has had a remarkable career to date -achieving two number one albums and being the only singer to perform at both the FA Cup and Powergen Challenge Rugby Cup finals.

But those successes are just the tip of the iceberg for the classical singer, whose musical career began when she was offered a recording contract immediately after college.

Her dream came true when debut album Premiere shot to number one and stayed there for eight weeks, with sales outstripping operatic greats like Kiri te Kanawa and Lesley Garrett.

"My three ambitions have always been to sing at the Millennium Stadium and the Sydney Opera House, and to get to number one in the classical charts and I can't believe I've done all three," she said.

The 23-year-old's musical career looks set to go further skyward with her second number-one album Second Nature - released in October 2004 - which this week won the Classical Brit Awards.

She will be performing songs from both releases at Ragley Hall in Alcester, Warwickshire, this summer.

The Worcester News-sponsored event sees the Welsh star joined by the renowned National Symphony Orchestra for an evening of classical favourites and fireworks.

Neath-born Katherine's interest in classical music began at the age of seven when she started piano lessons and joined her church choir.

Over the next 10 years she represented Wales on three occasions, winning the BBC Radio Two Welsh Choirgirl of the Year Competition twice.

A flurry of further music awards followed and she was only 17 when she won a scholarship to London's Royal Academy of Music, graduating with Honours.

After being voted the face of Wales she supplemented her grant by modelling.

"It was a way of earning money and supporting my studies but I knew it wasn't ever going to supplant music," she said.

During 2003 she sang at a special mass at Westminster Cathedral honouring the Pope's Silver Jubilee and a month later made her international debut at Sydney Opera House.

Among her other achievements, she was the official Welsh team mascot during the Rugby World Cup, recording their song - Bread of Heaven - backed by a 100-piece male voice choir.

And in May she was the first singer to perform at the FA Cup Final and the Powergen Challenge Cup Final (Rugby League) in the same year.

She subsequently played a series of concerts last autumn, including performances at the Newport's newly-built Riverfront Theatre and Cardiff's Tsunami Charity Concert.

Fans can catch her at Ragley Hall on Sunday, August 14. Gates open at 6pm and tickets are available from IML Concerts on 01603 660444 or Worcester Tourist Information Centre on 01905 726311.