A SINGER from Hatherleigh has been shortlisted in the Classic BRIT Awards 2018.

Cameron Mills, who was a sixth form leaver at Shebbear College last year and goes by the stage name Thomas Cameron, has been building an impressive reputation as a tenor singer in the short time since he left the school.

He has now been entered into the inaugural Sound of Classical Poll for his vibrant voice, which has been described as having velvet-like qualities. The poll is a competition to identify one winner who embodies the exciting future of classical music. The winner will be decided by a panel of industry professionals and announced on awards night on June 13. They will also receive £1,000 towards their musical development.

Cameron first discovered his love for singing when he was selected for the lead role in a production of Joseph and the Amazing Technicolour Dreamcoat when he was 11 years old. 

He has recently finished his debut album The Voice of Thomas Cameron which was recorded at Peter Gabriel’s Real World Studios near Bath and then mastered at the legendary Abbey Road Studios. Renowned Irish music producer Robert Macleod and sound engineer Scott Barnett have worked on the album.

Under his professional stage name, Thomas Cameron, he will be launching his debut album and single at a concert at Buckland House in Buckland Filleigh, on Thursday July 12, where limited edition signed copies of his album will be available. Later this summer he will also be performing at the Edinburgh Fringe, Ludlow, Shaftesbury and Ventnor Fringe Festivals among many other performances.

The Classic BRIT Awards returns for the first time in five years in 2018 at a glittering ceremony at the Royal Albert Hall. Hosts Myleene Klass and Alexander Armstrong will celebrate the growing appeal of classical music from film, television, theatre and games, introducing performances from two of Britain’s best loved entertainers Ball & Boe, the biggest selling classical artist of all time Andrea Bocelli, Welsh bass-baritone Sir Bryn Terfel and winner of Britain’s Got Talent 2017 Tokio Myers, plus more still to be announced.