Myleene Klass to host Classic BRIT Awards for sixth year

The multi-talented and incomparable Myleene Klass has been confirmed to present, for the sixth consecutive year, The Classic BRIT Awards 2013 with MasterCard, The BPI, the UK's recorded music association, announced today.

Taking place on Wednesday 2 October 2013 at the Royal Albert Hall, the annual two-hour musical spectacular has become the cornerstone of ITV1's classical music programming reaching a record-breaking 2 million plus viewers each year for the past two years.

The London Chamber Orchestra is also confirmed to accompany the evening's performances. This is the seventh consecutive year that the LCO have performed at The Classic BRIT Awards. The conductor for the event will be Christopher Warren Green.

Tickets for The Classic BRIT Awards 2013 go on sale today and for the second year running, takes place at the beginning of the awards season as part of the autumn schedule. Featuring a minimum of eight awards, the event highlights the achievements and work of musicians, composers and singers in both the core and crossover classical world. In 2012 The Classic BRIT Awards recognised the extraordinary talent of 20 year-old pianist Benjamin Grosvenor, violinist Nicola Benedetti, classical guitarist Miloš Karadagli? and conductor Vasily Patrenko as well as legendary film composer John Williams, tenor Andrea Bocelli and the phenomenally successful live performances and sales of André Rieu & his Johann Strauss Orchestra.

Expanding its partnership with BPI last year, MasterCard will for the second year be headline sponsor of The Classic BRITs. The sponsorship is a direct result of BPI's decision two years ago to change the name of the event and broaden the scope of music that forms this unique televised show. The inclusion of musical theatre and film score composition has created an event with show-stopping performances by the casts of Les Misérables and Phantom of the Opera, the legendary Dame Shirley Bassey in tribute to John Barry, piano duets from Gary Barlow and Andrew Lloyd Webber and a spectacular silver screen montage of the work of John Williams.

The Classic BRIT Awards, now in its fourteenth year and remaining the only televised classical awards ceremony, has played a major role in supporting and nurturing talent in both the core and crossover classical world. The event was established in 2000 to honour and recognise all forms of classical music from contemporary to crossover, opera to soundtracks, traditional to theatre and has continued to evolve as classical music has once again become a major seller in the music world.

The Classic BRIT Awards is proud to celebrate the eclectic and diverse nature of the genre featuring past performances from Placido Domingo to Sting; Dame Kiri Te Kanawa to Lang Lang with Herbie Hancock; and Jose Carreras to Nigel Kennedy.

Tickets on sale NOW and are available from the Royal Albert Hall box office on 020 7589 8212. Ranging from £20 to £260 (+VAT) for a full dinner/show experience, The Classic BRIT Awards remains one of the best value-for-money experiences on the classical calendar.

The Classic BRIT Awards 2013 with MasterCard will be broadcast on ITV1 in October.