Noah Stewart
From Harlem to the Royal Opera House - it has been an incredible journey for Noah Stewart.
Noah has been building a fine reputation as a fast-rising operatic tenor, equally accomplished in interpreting such core roles as Don Jose in Carmen or Rodolfo in La Boheme or pioneering new roles in contemporary opera.
He recently won the Mario Lanza Competition for Tenors, and Lanza himself would surely have approved of the breadth of material that Noah has chosen to sing for his debut album for Decca, not least 'I'll Walk With God', which Lanza sang in the movie The Student Prince.
His debut album includes the unadulterated operatic arias 'Recondita armonia', from Puccini's 'Tosca', and 'Pourquoi me reveiller', from Massenet's 'Werther', as well as the enduringly popular Bach/Gounod version of 'Ave Maria'.
But the album, set for release in early 2012, casts its net much wider too.
With inspirational input from producers and arrangers Steven Baker and Christian Seitz, it frames Noah's rich, resonant voice in the spiritual classic 'Deep River', and the traditional tunes 'Silent Night' and 'Nearer My God To Thee'.
When he was at high school, Noah gained some experience of the pop music industry when he sang backup for Mariah Carey at Madison Square Gardens and appeared on the David Letterman Show with rapper Coolio, so he had a feel for how to tackle pop standards like Abba's 'I Have a Dream', 'Nights In White Satin' (with Italian lyrics) and Leonard Cohen's 'Hallelujah'.
There's also a visit to the movies with a stirring new arrangement of the theme from Exodus.
Also in 2012, Noah will make his Covent Garden debut as Hassan in Judith Weir's Achterbahn (Miss Fortune), having premiered the role in Bregenz in Austria in 2011, and British audiences can also look forward to seeing him in Opera North's Madame Butterfly.
His music may be making him a global citizen, but Noah Stewart has no plans to forget his roots.
Last Friday he performed the US National anthem at the NFL game at Wembley Stadium - a very patriotic and emotional moment to be representing and celebrating his country.
The track 'Without A Song' will be going to radio in coming weeks and his debut self titled album is due early next year . Keep your eyes and ears peeled for much more on Noah.