ONE of the most powerful presences in modern opera will lead an opulent St George’s Day celebration.

Sir Willard White will perform at St George’s in Bristol on April 23 at 7.30pm as part of the venue’s celebration of England’s patron saint.

The bass-baritone, well-known from performing on the stages of leading opera houses and concert venues around the world, has had his voice described as ‘pure velvet’ by The Times.

Among the Kingston-born singer’s previous roles in a long and rich career are Mephistopheles in The Damnation of Faust, Bluebeard in Bartok’s Bluebeard’s Castle, Tchelio in Prokofiev’s The Love for Three Oranges and Nick Shadow in Stravinsky’s The Rake’s Progress.

The Jamaican singer will be accompanied by pianist Eugene Asti in a musical feast of classical songs, spirituals and popular pieces.

He will perform Schumann’s 4 Husaren-Lieder (Lenau) Opera 117, Brahms’4 ernste Gesange Op 121, selected arias from Mozart and various spirituals.

And on a night of diverse performances, he will also be singing Jerry Bock’s If I Were A Rich Man, Mitch Leigh’s The Impossible Dream and songs by George Gershwin.

Tickets, priced �13-27, are available from the box office on 0845 4024001 and www.stgeorgesbristol.co.uk

* The Times has teamed up with St George’s to offer two readers the chance to win a pair of tickets to the show.

To enter the competition simply answer the following question: Who will accompany Sir Willard White on the piano?

Send your answer, along with your name, address and a daytime telephone number, to All The Single Ladies competition, North Somerset Times, 32 Waterloo Street, Weston-super-Mare, BS23 1LW by 9am on April 13. Alternatively click on the link at the top right of this page.