Internationally-renowned singer and former opera diva Kathleen Battle, who has been thrilling listeners and critics alike with her artistry throughout a long professional career, is expected to do no less when she appears before a select audience of 320 at the Berkeley Institute hall at 7 p.m.next Monday.

Describing Miss Battle as a ?fabulous friend? of 12 years standing, Mrs. Wanda Henton Brown, wife of Tourism Minister Dr. Ewart Brown, said the 58-year-old lyric soprano is no stranger to the Island, having been a guest of the couple on several occasions, but she is now ?very excited? to be performing here for the first time.

?Kathleen loves Bermuda, and has told a number of people how wonderful it is. She is one of our ?friendly ambassadors?,? Mrs. Brown said.

In fact, it is Miss Battle?s close friendship with Mrs. Brown which is making the $1,000-a-ticket event possible.

?I am thankful to Kathleen because she has been extremely helpful, otherwise there would have so many requirements I could not have met,? Mrs. Brown said.

A new ?charitable organisation?, (it is not yet a registered charity) entitled THE Foundation, has been formed to which net proceeds of the Battle recital will be given.

The brainchild of Mrs. Brown, this organisation came about when she learned that so many residents longed for the musical group ?Earth, Wind and Fire? to appear here, but the costs made it prohibitive.

Sharing their disappointment and recognising that as many Bermuda residents as visitors attended the annual Music Festival, which is hugely expensive to mount, Mrs. Brown reasoned that since everyone benefits from the event, a separately funded Foundation was needed to assist Tourism with its costs, as well helping to fund future events featuring artists of various genre.

Explaining the THE Foundation?s name, Mrs. Brown said it is ?a double entendre?.

?We all know that international business and tourism are the two pillars of our economy, but tourism is the original foundation, so that is the double entendre.?

To date Mrs. Brown has been ?overwhelmed and grateful? for the ?tremendous support? she has received from sponsors in the local hotel and corporate communities, as well as others here and abroad, including colleagues on Wall Street, where the investment banker has her private market practice.

Sponsors are categorised as Diamond, Ruby and Emerald, depending on their level of investment, with the Fairmont Southampton Resort being the top underwriting (Diamond) sponsor.

Expressing appreciation to all who have so generously and enthusiastically backed her project, Mrs. Brown said she and her husband were the initial sponsors of THE Foundation in order get it up and running.

While the high cost of tickets would appear to exclude many members of the general public, Mrs. Brown said steps were being taken to address this.

In addition to two new sponsor categories, Love and Angel, which will allow several seniors and youngsters, including music students, to attend, provision is also being made for others to enjoy the recital.

?Through a client and an anonymous donor, we will be able to offer several seats to Government employees and other everyday citizens,? Mrs. Brown said. ?My husband and I, as well as several other sponsors, are also purchasing additional tickets to bring guests, (and) we will be seeking additional sponsors to get even more support, so we expect to see a true microcosm of Bermuda.?

Meanwhile, Miss Battle comes to the Island with an impressive professional background, and rated by critics as having one of the world?s most beautiful voices.

Trained as a music educator at the University of Cincinnati?s College Conservatory of Music, an audition with then-conductor of the Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra, Thomas Schippers, successfully led to her performing at the 1972 Festival of Two Worlds in Spoeto, Italy ? the first step on the road to what would become a dazzling international career, during which she has appeared at many of the world?s leading opera houses and major recital halls.

The range of Miss Battle?s repertoire spans three centuries from the Baroque era to contemporary works, and from Handel to Richard Strauss, and she is regarded as an outstanding interpreter of Mozart, Rossini and Donizetti.

Miss Battle enjoyed some of her greatest successes in the world?s leading opera houses, including The Royal Opera House at Covent Garden, where she was the first American to be honoured with a Laurence Olivier Award for ?Best Performance in a New Opera Production?, until she was fired in 1994 by New York?s Metropolitan Opera following a progressively stormy and difficult relationship.

?The opera world?s loss is the concert hall?s gain,? she is reputed to have said at the time.

And so it has proved as she has travelled the world giving concerts and recitals, performing works commissioned for her, and sharing her broad repertoire, which includes spirituals and jazz.

Indeed, Miss Battle has performed or recorded with such diverse artists as trumpeter Wynton Marsalis, flautist Jean-Pierre Rampal, guitarist Christopher Parkening, legendary pianist Herbie Hancock, jazz vocalist Al Jarreau, and the late saxophonist Grover Washington, to name a few.

Meanwhile, the African-American singer has received many awards, including seven honorary doctorates, five Grammys, and an Emmy award In honour of her outstanding artistic achievements, she was inducted into the NAACP Image Award Hall of Fame and the Hollywood Bowl Hall of Fame.