Excitement off scale for Midlands opera singer Sarah-Ann

Now eight years on the classically trained soprano singer is hitting high notes in her career as she prepares to perform her own award-winning operatic cabaret at the world's largest arts festival next month.

Miss Cromwell, who now runs performance workshops for music theatre students at Wolverhampton University, will take centre stage for 12 performances of her unique show, Diva Gigs: A week in the life of a Diva, at Edinburgh Festival Fringe.

The show won the Buxton Festival Fringe 'Spirit of the Fringe Award' 2012 after she attended the event last year to perform five shows.

Miss Cromwell created the act while studying opera performance at Birmingham Conservatoire.

She did this after leaving Joseph Leckie secondary school in Walsall, where she had worked for four years.

It is a fusion of opera, comical storytelling and humorous songs which takes the audience on a journey through a week in Miss Cromwell's life as an opera singer.

"It started when my sixth formers at Joseph Leckie left and sent me a card," she said.

"It had a poem which said follow your dreams, wherever you go, nurture them, care for them, let them grow.

"I spent my time telling my students to follow their dreams and felt like a hypocrite.

"I went to Birmingham Conservatoire and then trained privately. I was introduced to some incredible singing teachers." She went on to perform in operas including Othello with Birmingham Opera Company and performed in Carmen in London.

Miss Cromwell, who lives in Birmingham city centre, said she wanted to move away from traditional operas and was inspired to create her own cabaret operatic act. What I really missed was interaction with the audience," she said.

"In a cabaret you invite people to talk with you.

"Diva Gigs is a very honest story about my life in opera.

"It's taking everything you see in a cabaret act and incorporating opera.

"There's a lot of comedy moments and it's chilled out."

She first tested the show out at a church in Walsall and went on to perform it at Buxton Festival Fringe and Monmouth Festival in Wales.

Accompanying her to the festival next month is pianist Ana-Maria Andritoiu and Diva crew members, Brandhall Primary School teacher Davina Goodall, of Smethwick, and Helen Ross, of Coven, Wolverhampton.

She added: "Because we want to be interactive, we will give the audience chance to tweet us as we perform and we will give feedback during the performance.

"As a performer, it is very tough but it's really good fun. You have to fight for it and take risks."

The shows last 50 minutes and will take place at SpaceCabaret@54, in North Bridge, Edinburgh.

They will run between August 2 and 17 and tickets cost £7.

Her venture to Edinburgh Festival Fringe will cost more than £6,000 and Miss Cromwell is appealing to the public for support.

Pledges can be given at www.kickstarter.com and for more information visit www.sarahanncromwell.com