Music: Lunchtime Concerts

Among the little gems of the Festival are the series of lunchtime concerts at the Pavilion Theatre in the Dome.

They have become a regular part of the Festival and frequently sell out. And with all tickets at just £6, it is the ideal opportunity to see some up-and-coming stars during a lunchtime break.

Just two years ago, I saw operatic bass Jonathan Lemalu sing there and now this summer he is at Glyndebourne in Mozart's The Magic Flute - just one example of the many who have had their talents showcased in Brighton and gone on to bigger things.

This year, these concerts have been extended to include Saturdays and the mix has been increased to include classical, jazz, world and folk music.

The series also forms a mixed platform including some competition and award winners, and this year they celebrate the art of singing across centuries and art forms.

These hour-long recitals are the ideal way to hear original artists and catch the stars of tomorrow.

The concert series kicks off on Saturday, May 1, with Jacqui Dankworth, daughter of jazz legends Cleo Laine and Johnny Dankworth. She isn't just a jazz singer and is equally at home with folk sounds, semi-classical music and the all-time popular standard.

From Rodgers and Hart, Joni Mitchell to Nora Jones, Dankworth never gives less than excellent value for money. (Sponsored by Chromatics Ltd).

She is followed on May 3 by Onyx Brass, a classical chamber music group formed by the brass principals of the 1993 National Youth Orchestra.

Seven-piece Serbian Gipsy band Kal provide the music on May 4 and their Romany vocals are backed by equally fiery music from fiddles, accordions and double basses in a colourful mix of traditional music.

Taiwan-born pianist Chiao-Ying Chang came to Britain in 1997 to study at the Royal Academy of Music.

Since then, she has won a string of competitions and was a finalist at last year's Leeds International Piano Competition. On May 5, she will perform works by Beethoven, Schubert and Brahms.

Jolie Holland has a background in the Creole sound of New Orleans and a voice said to be a cross between Billie Holliday and Gillian Welch. On May 6, she will be taking a fresh spin on rural Americana and back-alley poetry.

Double Image will give the world premiere of Nicola LeFanu's Piano Trio alongside Beethoven's Clarinet Trio and Trio Promethique on May 7, ending the first week's series.

Week two begins on May 8 with Nigerian saxophonist Bukky Leo and Black Egypt with Afrocentric jazz rhythms and on May 10, it's back to the classics with violinist Birgitte Staernes and pianist Jorunn Marie Bratlie with music by Grieg and Beethoven.

On May 11, Jazz and blues pianist Louis Vause performs a recital influenced by everyone from Fats Waller to Blur's Graham Coxon.

Welsh pianist Llyr Williams takes the stage on May 12 for music by Liszt, Debussy and Chopin. Following his debut at the Edinburgh International Festival last year, he is now a BBC Radio 3 Young Generation Artist.

Luke Goss takes to his accordion on May 13 along with the Carver Trio on mandocello, guitar and flutes and double bass for jazz with a difference from the Kind of Blue era to soundscapes which defy categorisation.

The second week ends on May 14 with Alison Nicholls, winner of the World Harp Festival Competition and much-in-demand tenor James Gilchrist in a programme which will include some of Benjamin Britten's folk songs.

Early music ensemble Passacaglia opens the final week of lunchtime recitals on May 15 along with soprano Julia Gooding to recreate the atmosphere of an 18th-Century French coffee house. Sonatas by Bach, Telemann and Handel will be performed with arias from Bach's Coffee Cantata.

Scottish pianist Martin Cousins (Sponsored by Mistral Internet) takes the stage on May 17.

He won the Gold Medal at the Royal Overseas League competition last year and now he will perform music by Beethoven and Debussy as well as a selection from his Rachmaninov repertoire.

On May 18, Sivasakthi Sivanesan brings us a taste of South Indian karnatic music and on May 19, the music is from the Bronte Quartet. This ensemble won last year's Royal Overseas League Ensemble competition and perform music by Haydn, Purcell and Arvo Part.

Israeli multi-sax virtuoso Gilad Atzmon brings his quartet to the Pavilion Theatre on May 20, a blend of driving bebop with Middle East roots.

Guitarist Morgan Szymanski from Mexico comes to the stage on May 21.

He studied in London and at the Conservatorium Van Amsterdam and comes to Brighton with a varied programme of folk songs with a distinct Hispanic flavour.

The lunchtime series ends on May 22 with a recital of songs by Hahn and Monsalvatge and Schumann's Frauenliebe und Leben by mezzo-soprano Karen Cargill and pianist Simon Lepper.

Both had great success at the 2002 Kathleen Ferrier Competition, with Cargill taking top prize and Lepper winning the accompanist top award.

May 1 to May 22, 1pm, tickets £6.