posted 08-22-2012 05:46 PM               

If the trip happens, Brightman, 52, would make the journey in 2015, the Interfax news agency reported, citing an unidentified official in the Russian space industry. A source familiar with Brightman's side of the negotiations confirmed to NBC News that talks were under way, but stressed that they were at an early stage.

Assuming the negotiations are successful, Brightman would be the first paying orbital space passenger since Cirque du Soleil founder Guy Laliberte, who donned a red clown's nose for his 2009 trip to the space station.

...Brightman — who rose to fame starring in the original London and New York casts of "The Phantom of the Opera" — visited Russia about a month ago and received the approval of a medical commission to begin training at the Cosmonaut Training Center outside Moscow, the source added.

She was married to composer Andrew Lloyd Webber in the 1980s and pursued a chart-topping solo career after their divorce, bringing classical music to a broader audience and selling millions of records along the way. Estimates of her net worth have ranged from $45 million to $52 million and beyond.

posted 09-26-2012 10:28 AM               

Sarah Brightman will be in Moscow to make a 'groundbreaking' announcement.

The media advisory included the following description of Brightman:

International singing superstar Sarah Brightman is the world's biggest selling Soprano. She pioneered the classical crossover music movement and is famed for possessing a vocal range of over 3 octaves. Sarah is the only artist to have simultaneously topped the Billboard dance and classical music charts.

Sarah’s work transcends any specific musical genre, synthesizing many influences and inspirations into a unique sound and vision. She remains among the world’s most prominent performers, with global sales of 30 million units having received more than 180 gold and platinum awards in over 40 countries.

Brightman was also the first artist to have been invited to perform at the Olympic Games on two occasions. The first was at the 1992 Barcelona Olympic Games and then 16 years later in Beijing.

Brightman recently accepted the UNESCO nomination to be an “Artist For Peace” Ambassador in 2012 for her “commitment to humanitarian and charitable causes". She has appeared in several films, including Repo! The Genetic Opera (2008), directed by Darren Lynn Bousman, and Stephen Evans' First Night (2011). She is currently working on her highly anticipated new album to be released late 2012, with a world tour soon to be announced.