When my law firm sponsored the concert given by José Cura with the Philharmonia Orchestra at the Royal Festival Hall in March 1999, it occurred to me that in Britain we get the opportunity only infrequently to hear truly great voices, except at productions at the Royal Opera House or the occasional one-off recital.

So, I conceived a plan, hopefully not too ambitious, to create a recital series where we could hear international artists at reasonably regular intervals.

Following the tremendous success of the Recital Series, which has featured singers such as Jose Cura, Carlos Alvarez, Giuseppe Sabbatini, Juan Diego Florez, Dennis O’Neill, Joseph Calleja, Marcello Giordani, Michele Pertusi, June Anderson and the BBC Cardiff Singer of the World winner Marius Brenciu, and thanks to your continued

support, we are on the 6th Series with plans for the seventh already underway with renowned artists such as Leo Nucci and the return of Juan Diego Florez.

Helga Schmidt, the former Artistic Director of the Royal Opera House, Covent Garden, has attracted some tremendous artists for my recital series, some of whom are already world renowned and others who are about to embark on major international careers. The recitals feature well-known arias and many incorporate traditional songs from the artist's county of origin.

People say the golden age of singing is dead. The Rosenblatt Recital Series proves that the art of Bel Canto singing is very much alive!

Ian I. Rosenblatt