You may have spotted the erudite and snappily-dressed opera-singer on various TV shows, with more planned in due course. Noah Stewart casts an elegant figure and boasts a deep resonating voice, a timbre that could be tagged as 'baritenor', such is its depth.

But, just a few years ago, Stewart had a comparably humble Harlem background whilst learning the ropes of performing as a choir-boy and being assigned as a voice-over artist on Sesame Street. His love of singing grew with back-up vocal jobs with Mariah Carey and Coolio (hey, we've all got to start somewhere), before getting his break whilst making ends meet as a receptionist at the famous Carnegie Hall. In due course, Stewart had performed in two operas by contemporary classicists, Philip Glass and John Adams, earning rave reviews to boot.

Fast forward a few years and Noah Stewart is all set to cross-over to the UK's psyche with a new album, a clutch of UK shows and, beforehand, an esteemed appearance at Covent Garden's Royal Opera House, playing Hassan in the premier of Judith Weir's "Miss Fortune". There are just a handful of shows with tickets left, taking place on 12th, 16th, 20th, 23rd and 28th March. Tickets start at £20, rising to £80 for top seats.

In May, Stewart's album-supporting tour will begin in Gateshead on the 17th, followed by Birmingham, Milton Keynes, London and Salford. Tickets for all five shows are available now, priced from £22.50. The London show is at the Union Chapel, an excellent auditorium for capturing Stewart's voice - don't miss any of these shows. The album, "Noah", which contains the oft-heard "Amazing Grace", plus "Ave Maria", "Notte Di Luce" (Nights in White Satin) and a dozen other songs, is released on 26th March.