'THE people's soprano' Rebecca Newman is warming up for her summer concert inWeymouth.

Singer Rebecca is looking for a local tenor or baritone to be her next duet partner for her appearance at Weymouth Pavilion on June 26.

Since topping the classical albums charts in 2014, Rebecca has sung with many big stars, including Russell Watson, Alfie Boe and Aled Jones.

Devon born Rebecca last visited Weymouth Pavilion whilst on tour with Russell Watson in 2015.

Russell was so impressed by her achievement in scoring a number 1 classical album in September 2014 he chose her to be his special guest soprano on his 50 date tour of the UK.

Rebecca, a former busker, said: “It was so incredible to tour with Russell, especially as we often visited towns and cities where I was once an operatic busker, performing for the shoppers and tourists. I even visited Weymouth a few years ago on a beautiful sunny day in August.”

Starting out as a busker in 2005 put Rebecca on an unusual road to success, which saw her gain a large and loyal fanbase, which helped Rebecca record her dream album with live orchestra and get it to the top of the charts.

She has appeared on national TV and radio including BBC1 Songs of Praise, BBC Breakfast, BBC Radio2 , Classic FM and more, with a career highlight being a glowing endorsement from the late Sir Terry Wogan when she performed live on his Radio 2 show in July last year, which sent her album storming back into the classical charts.

Rebecca’s incredible journey as a busker turned bestseller has inspired her to continue working with communities and supporting other up and coming talent.

She is inviting young male singers local to Weymouth to enter her talent search for a duet partner by emailing choirs@rebeccanewman.co.uk before May 31.

“I came from a family where no one was musical and no one really knew what to do with me when I started warbling away in the living room, so any help I’ve had along the way has been incredibly valuable. It’s the least I can do to ‘pay it forward’ by helping other people to realise their dreams too,” Rebecca said.

As one of Rebecca’s designated charities, the RNLI in Weymouth will benefit from 25 per cent of the profits from the concert.

In 2012, Rebecca toured the UK in aid of the charity and released a charity single, which won her the RNLI Award for Outstanding Achievement.

Rebecca said: “I grew up in Exmouth so I was well aware of what a wonderful job the RNLI do. It’s my pleasure to be able to give something back and I’ve met so many wonderful people through the organisation.”

The concert will see Rebecca performing highlights from her No1 album, Dare to Dream, which is named after a song she wrote that embodies her own musical journey.

She’ll be singing some of her most popular repertoire, including songs from the shows, operatic arias, light pop and classical crossover pieces like Time to Say Goodbye. The show will also feature the One Voice choir.

The show starts at 7.30pm. Contact Weymouth Pavilion for tickets.