Jazz singer Katie Melua shakes hands with the Queen

The 20-year-old shrugged off a cold to sing her hit song The Closest Thing to Crazy, accompanied on piano by record producer and former Womble Mike Batt.

The concert also featured performances from music students and choirs.

The event ends later with a celebrity reception at Buckingham Palace. A host of music stars, including Eric Clapton and Brian May, have been invited.

Other star guests include Phil Collins, Dame Vera Lynn, Jamie Cullum, Bryn Terfel, Terry Wogan, Humphrey Lyttleton and Sir Cameron Mackintosh.

Performances

Tuesday's concert, held in the palace ballroom, was attended by 250 schoolchildren from five London boroughs.

The Queen meets members of Birmingham's Young Voices Choir

The event featured performances from the Bhavan Music Group, the City of Birmingham Young Voices choir and the National Youth Orchestra.

Master of the Queen's Music, Sir Peter Maxwell Davies, composed three Renaissance Scottish dances that were performed by the Omega Ensemble.

The youngest performer was eight-year-old Vilma Aber Oketta, who played the udu and water drum with the African Abantu Ensemble.

New accolade

Ian Tindale, a student at Icknield Community College in Oxfordshire, played Bach's Prelude in G Major on the ballroom organ, which was overhauled and recommissioned in 2002.