FARNWORTH-born baritone Craig Smith is to hold a masterclass for singers at the Bolton Library Theatre.

It will be on September 6 and will feature local singers Jill Taylor, Jane Hyde, Martin Roche and Adrian Pollitt.

Craig started his musical career as an amateur singer with North Manchester AOS in 1987 when he was studying singing with Veronica Cross.

He won the NODA award for best performance the following year for his role of the Earl of Mountararat in Iolanthe.

After studying at the Royal Northern College of music he started performing professionally.

His professional engagements have included Buxton Festival, the Festival de Haute Provence in Marseilles, Los Angeles Music Centre and Zurich Opera House.

Taking the role of Morales in Bizet's Carmen at the Zurich Opera House, Craig shared the stage with opera stars Jose Carreras and Placido Domingo.

Last year he sang the title role in Verdi's Nabucco at the Hersfelder Spielfest in German and won the Orpheus Prize for Best Performance.

He later returned to Bolton, preferring to make his career base in Britain.

His most recent work includes The Music Master (Ariadne auf Naxos) and Escamillo (Carmen) for English National Opera and Sharples (Madam Butterfly) for the Royal Liverpool Philharmonic Orchestra.

Future plans include repeat performances of Nabucco in Germany, the title role in Verdi's Rigoletto for Scottish Opera and The Messiah for the Royal Liverpool Philharmonic Orchestra.

He has not forgotten his years in amateur operatics. In 1992 he was musical director for Bolton Catholic Musical and Choral Society's production of Broadway Pirates of Penzance and chorus master for show and choral rehearsals. For the society's Diamond Jubilee show Die Fledermaus in 1995, Craig flew from Zurich to Bolton to take part in a gala performance.

To help raise funds for Bolton Catholics, Craig has held two masterclasses for singers connected with the society. But the September class is open to everyone to help raise money for the society's concert tour of Finland next year.

It is estimated that the cost of taking 45 of the choir to Finland (including travel, accommodation, music etc) will be about £40,000.

Craig said: "The master class gives me the opportunity of not only helping the singers in a positive way, but also to put something back into amateur theatre where I began."

Tickets for the masterclass - which starts at 7.15pm - will be £5 and £3 (cons) and are available from Margaret Owens on 01204 525698.

Converted for the new archive on 14 July 2000. Some images and formatting may have been lost in the conversion.