JAZZ AND SOUL singer Charlotte Collingwood has a busy fortnight ahead of her. Along with guitarist John King she is performing at The Well in Hitchin on August 8 and 13, as well as an opera night at the same pub on August 15, in addition to various venues

JAZZ AND SOUL singer Charlotte Collingwood has a busy fortnight ahead of her.

Along with guitarist John King she is performing at The Well in Hitchin on August 8 and 13, as well as an opera night at the same pub on August 15, in addition to various venues in Welwyn GC and St Albans.

The fact that the hard-working singer is more or less booked up until January 2007 (she plays in excess of 100 different shows a year) just goes to show how popular she is.

"Most of our public gigs are my guitarist John King and myself. We play jazz and soul from Ella Fitzgerald, Stevie Wonder to Eva Cassidy and Aretha Franklin, but I am classically trained and am equally at home singing opera - and have recently asked to perform one opera night a month at The Well in Hitchin.

"Our first night on July 18 was fully booked, so we are hoping for a good turn-out on August 15."

The multi-talented singer, who is also an actress and has appeared at The National Theatre, said that when people see her perform they can expect to be "able to talk over us - we won't deafen you" and to be entertained by live and improvised music from the 40s to the 00s.

"I think we are a niche act - some of our regular clients hire us purely because we are different to a lot of pub acts."

In addition to her skills as a jazz, soul and opera singer Charlotte also heads up a band which plays pop and cheese at private functions.

She has just set up her own website www.charlottecollingwood.com and plans to get around to a "long-delayed" CD some time next year.