Shirley Bassey met with acclaim after performance at Royal Albert Hall

Welsh singers Shirley Bassey and Katherine Jenkins stole the show with their glamorous performances at the Classical Brit Awards last night -- reports Wales Online.

The glitzy ceremony was held at the Royal Albert Hall in London, where renowned classical performers joined up-and-coming artists at the industry’s prestigious annual awards.

Katherine Jenkins looked stunning as she arrived at the ceremony wearing a full- length sparkling silver dress by Victoria Beckham, before performing a number of outfit changes throughout the evening.

The backless gown showed off the classical crossover star’s curves and her hair was swept into a side bun.

The singer from Neath, who was recently announced as number one in the young music millionaires list, sang Chanson Boheme from the French opera, Carmen.

In a tribute to the late John Barry who died in January, Dame Shirley closed the ceremony with a grand performance of the iconic track Goldfinger, the title song from the 1964 James Bond film starring in Sean Connery.

The evening featured a celebration of the music by the composer, who scored more than 120 films, and was honoured with the Outstanding Contribution To Music award at last night’s ceremony.

It was the second awards night in a row for Cardiff-born Dame Shirley, 74, who, on Wednesday night, presented the Best Drama award to the King’s Speech at the National Movie Awards at Wembley Arena.

Other guests at last night’s ceremony included tenor and star of the GoCompare adverts, Wynne Evans, whose debut album A Song in My Heart went to number one in the classical charts in March.

Powys-born classical crossover artist Rhydian Roberts, who recently performed at the Wales Millennium Centre in Cardiff in the musical We Will Rock You, also made an appearance.

Despite Katherine and Dame Shirley giving star performances at the ceremony, there was disappointment for Welsh acts who had been nominated for the awards, as they all left empty-handed.

Swansea-born composer Karl Jenkins had been nominated for best composer of the year but was beaten by Estonian composer Arvo Part, who won the prize for his Symphony No 4.

Singer Aled Jones, from Anglesey, had been nominated for Classic FM Album of the Year alongside Carols and Christmas Songs by Gwynedd-born Bryn Terfel.

Both artists lost out to violinist Andre Rieu, who has transformed one unfashionable waltz music into a stadium draw.

The Dutch musician, rewarded for his Moonlight Serenade album with the Johann Strauss Orchestra, was one of three violinists to land top awards at the annual event.

Rieu, who is also a conductor, has become one of the biggest selling classical acts in the world, having sold more than 30 million albums.

Along with the Johan Strauss Orchestra he has helped to create an international revival in waltzes.

British artist Tasmin Little was honoured with the Critics’ Award at the ceremony at London’s Royal Albert Hall for her album of Elgar’s Violin Concerto.

British conductor Antonio Pappano, the music director of the Royal Opera House, took the prize for Male Artist of the Year.

He was awarded the title for the two acclaimed albums he released within the space of six months – Verismo Arias and Stabat Mater.

The other violinist to win a prize at the ceremony, hosted by Myleene Klass, was Norwegian Vilde Frang, who was given the Newcomer Award.

Il Divo, the international vocal quartet launched by Simon Cowell, won a special recognition prize as Artist Of The Decade for their global success.

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