Award boost for Royal Opera House

Two Royal Opera House productions are nominated for best opera

London's Royal Opera House leads the race for this year's Royal Philharmonic Society Awards with seven nominations.

Its performers John Graham-Hall, Ben Heppner and Janice Watson dominate the best singer category.

And the prestigious London venue's music director Antonio Pappano is shortlisted for best conductor.

He is up against the City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra's Sakari Oramo and Glyndebourne's Vladimir Jurowski. The awards will be handed out on 11 May.

Two Royal Opera House productions, Lady Macbeth of Mtsensk and The Tempest, are nominated for best opera. They face competition from Opera North's Eight Little Greats.

The battle to be named best ensemble will be between the Britten Sinfonia, the Halle and the London Sinfonietta.

The London Symphony Orchestra conductor Sir Colin Davis, piano chamber music group The Florestan Trio and veteran conductor Sir Charles Mackerras compete for the BBC Radio 3 listeners' award.