Julian Ovenden will release album in February 2016

Julian Ovenden releases his first album, a tribute to the classic American musical, in February 2016

Downton Abbey’s Julian Ovenden will follow up his ITV Christmas double in the BAFTA Downton Special and The Sound of Music Live with the release of a new album in February.

The actor and classically trained tenor has followed in the footsteps of his Sound of Music co-star Alexander Armstrong by signing a new deal with East West Records to release an album paying musical tribute to the classic American musical.

Known to millions as the dashing Charles Blake in TV drama Downton Abbey, Ovenden has performed at the BBC Proms and has appeared on stage on both sides of the Atlantic, most recently giving a critically acclaimed performance in the New York Philharmonic concert production of Jerome Kern and Oscar Hammerstein’s Show Boat.

Commenting on the deal, the star said: “Christmas has certainly come early for me. I’m delighted to be joining the illustrious stable at East West Records and working with Nick Patrick on delivering a special album. These songs mean so much to so many – from Irving Berlin to Cole Porter, Harold Arlen to Richard Rodgers – and I hope to bring a fresh perspective to these great American tunes. Having performed many of these songs on stage, I am thrilled at the prospect of exploring them more deeply and in turn communicating that excitement to the listener.”

A chorister at St Paul’s Cathedral as a child, Ovenden went on to read music at Oxford on a choral scholarship. His deal with East West Records puts him in good company alongside fellow actors Armstrong and Hugh Laurie and chart-topping groups The Corrs and Simply Red.

Oven den’s album, which will be recorded early next year, will be produced by Nick Patrick whose credits include this year’s No.1 Elvis Presley record If I Can Dream and hit albums for Placido Domingo, Il Divo and Katherine Jenkins.

Revealing the deal, East West Records president Dan Chalmers said: “Julian is a powerhouse of a vocalist who is as stunning on the stage as he is in the recording studio; whatever songbook he tackles he delivers with an intense warmth and emotion. We’re delighted to welcome him to the East West family.”

Angela Thomas