在2006年的“不列颠古典音乐奖”里面,入围“年度最佳专辑”的作品,有两张不约而同的都在标题上使用了“梦想”这个字,除了少年歌手约瑟夫麦可曼纳斯的“In Dreams”之外,还有女中音歌手凯瑟琳詹金斯(Katherine Jenkins)的第三张专辑“Living a Dream”,最后,由后者脱颖而出。事实上,这已经不是Katherine Jenkins头一次夺得这项荣耀。2005年四月,她的第二张专辑“Second Nature”也同样是这项大奖的得主。不过短短三年之前,她还是个无名小卒,甚至在2004与2005两年前往美国巡回的时候,还得替海莉(Hayley Westenra)和刚脱离“爱尔兰男高音”(Irish Tenors)独立的罗南泰南(Ronan Tynan)担任助阵的暖场歌手,可是,尽管如此,她却已经缔造了一项空前的纪录:2003年,环球唱片跟当时二十三岁的她签下一纸六张专辑的合约,未曾公开确实金额的七位数签约金,使得她成了英国唱片史上身价最高的艺人,而她的专辑开始推出之后,也以销售成绩证明了她确实是值得的。她是自从玛丽亚卡拉丝(Maria Callas)以来,英国最畅销的古典艺人。
Katherine Jenkins (凯瑟琳·詹金斯)是现时英国专辑销量最好的女歌剧歌手。出生于英国南威尔士(South Wales)利夫(Neath)的Katherine从七岁起便学习音乐,最初学习弹奏钢琴和参加学校的歌咏团,她的声乐和钢琴都达致八级的水平。其间参加了多次本土的音乐比赛,获奖是家常便饭。其天份大受唱片公司的注意,甫出校门,唱片公司便和她签订连出六张唱片的合约。她也没有令公司失望,2004年4月,她的首张专辑《Premiere》在古典排行榜上高踞榜首达8周之久,一时无两,气势如虹。在2004年10月,Katherine Jenkins迅速推出了第二张专辑《Second Nature》。出道至今她已推出《Premiere》、《Second Nature》及《Living a Dream》等几张极为畅销的专辑,并令她荣登古典音乐史上唱片销售速度最快的艺人;她除了于Live 8演唱会登台献技之外,更加连续两年勇夺Classic Brits (英国古典音乐颁奖礼) 最佳唱片殊荣。
威尔斯歌唱家Katherine Jenkins (凯瑟琳·詹金斯)以卓越的歌艺才华及青春甜美的魅力震惊乐坛,成为歌剧界触目新星,其独特个人风格及追求完美的精神不但与万宝龙的品牌价值同出一辙,更与品牌女装产品的青春时尚气质完美配合,成为代表万宝龙女装腕表、皮具、高级首饰及书写工具的最佳代言人。
While still in her mid-twenties, Welsh mezzo-soprano Katherine Jenkins emerged as Britain's all-time best-selling classical artist, although critics charged her success was more a result of physical beauty than musical talent. Born June 29, 1980, in Neath, West Glamorgan, Wales, Jenkins fell under the sway of classical music at age seven, studying piano and singing in her local choir throughout childhood. In 1990, she joined the Royal School of Church Music Cathedral Singers and also served with the National Youth Choir of Wales. At 17 Jenkins was accepted into London's Royal Academy of Music, tackling a series of operatic roles while studying Italian, German, French, and Russian. She continued pursuing opera as a post-graduate while moonlighting as a vocal instructor, but upon winning the Face of Wales modeling contest she instead supplemented her income as a fashion model. In 2003 Universal Classics signed Jenkins to a six-album, seven-figure recording contract, reputedly the largest classical deal in U.K. music industry history. While at work on her debut LP, she performed at Westminster Cathedral in honor of Pope John Paul II and also made her inaugural appearance at the famed Sydney Opera House. Issued in the spring of 2004, Jenkins' debut, Premiere, immediately topped the classical music charts, and its success inspired a quickie follow-up, Second Nature. Together the albums vaulted the singer to a level of commercial success previously unknown in classical music circles, and she further exploited her growing mainstream popularity by recording a classical rendition of Dolly Parton's "I Will Always Love You" for 2005's Living a Dream.