Sting takes on Terfel in battle of Classical Brits

He has won Grammy awards and Brits, and is about to reunite with his Police bandmates. But now Sting has found a new source of acclaim - with a nomination for the 2007 Classical Brits.

The pop star has been shortlisted for his classical debut, an album of songs by the 16th-century composer John Dowland, accompanied by the Bosnian lute virtuoso Edin Karamazov.

Songs from the Labyrinth was released by Deutsche Grammophon last autumn. It topped the classical album charts and made the top 30 in the pop charts, despite mixed reviews.

Sting said at the time: "I'm not a trained singer for this repertoire, but I'm hoping that I can bring some freshness to these songs that perhaps a more experienced singer wouldn't give."

The album category is a mixed bag of classical stars such as Bryn Terfel, crossover artists such as Libera, early-music groups such as The Sixteen and left-field acts such as the Fron Male Voice Choir from Wales.

The winner of the album of the year is chosen by Classic FM listeners and Classic FM magazine readers. Voting starts on 10 April. The frontrunner is Nicola Benedetti, the 19-year-old former BBC Young Musician of the Year, who received three nominations.

The Mexican tenor Rolando Villazon, Terfel and The Sixteen each have two nominations.

Villazon is up against Anna Netrebko for singer of the year, which should assuage some of her concerns about the awards. Last year, the Russian soprano was shocked by some of the winners. "In this country, what they call classical stars are nothing of the sort, they're crossover," she said.

Benedetti's rivals for instrumentalist of the year include the British trumpeter Alison Balsom and the pianist Leif Ove Andsnes.

And she is up against another Scot, the tenor Nicky Spence, as well as the violinist Ruth Palmer for young British classical performer.

The soundtrack composer award has been broadened to include scores for television as well as film, which gives George Fenton a chance with his music for Planet Earth. The Sixteen's nominations include classical recording of the year, where they are joined by Sir Simon Rattle and the Berlin Philharmonic's recording of Holst's The Planets and Sir Colin Davis and the London Symphony Orchestra's live recording of Sibelius's Kullervo.

Karl Jenkins, who was once a jazz-rock musician, is up against Peter Maxwell Davies, the Master of the Queen's Music, and the American John Adams for contemporary composer.

A lifetime achievement award will be handed to Vernon Handley, 76, the conductor who has championed British music for 40 years.