Lesley Garrett

Lesley Garrett, CBE (born 10 April 1955) is an English soprano singer, musician, broadcaster and media personality. She is noted for being at home in opera and "crossover music".

Early life

Garrett was born in the town of Thorne, near Doncaster in South Yorkshire , into a musical family. She attended Thorne Fieldside Infant and Junior Schools and Thorne Grammar School. As she grew up she inherited her family's love of music. Her grandfather Colin Wall was a classical pianist; her father Derek worked as a railway signalman and then as a schoolteacher at Hatfield Woodhouse Primary School, eventually going on to become a headmaster. They lived nearby just south of the village; her mother Margaret (née Wall) was a talented singing seamstress and became the school secretary at Lesley's primary school. She has two sisters, Jill and Kay, one step-sister, Louise, and two step-brothers named Robert and Nicholas. While a student at the Royal Academy of Music she worked as a life model, something of which she is still proud.

Music

Garrett has had an extensive music career. A graduate of the Royal Academy of Music and an alumna of the prestigious National Opera Studio, she won the Decca Prize of the Kathleen Ferrier Award in 1979, thereby launching her career. Her professional debut, in 1979, was as Amor in '' Orontea'' at the music festival in Batignano. She subsequently sang, in 1980, Alice in '' Le comte Ory'' at the London Coliseum and Dorinda in '' Orlando'' at the Wexford Festival, in 1981, also at Wexford, the title role in ''Zaide'', in 1982 Sophie in ''Werther'' with Opera North and in 1984 Damigella in '' L'incoronazione di Poppea'' at Glyndebourne. From 1984, as principal soprano at English National Opera, she became well known for her performances in productions of the operas '' Serse'', '' Le Nozze di Figaro'', ''Così fan tutte'', '' Die Fledermaus'' and ''The Mikado''.

Garrett has performed across the world, in countries throughout Europe, and also the United States, Australia, Russia, Brazil, Japan, Malaysia, Taiwan and South Korea. She has also sung opera and pop classics with Bryan Ferry, Eurythmics and Mick Hucknall to celebrate the arrival of the new century on Millennium Eve in the grounds at the Royal Observatory and National Maritime Museum.

She played the lead role of Hanna Glawari in the Welsh National Opera's production of ''The Merry Widow'', which toured the United Kingdom in 2005. In 2006 she sang the role of Mother Abbess in Andrew Lloyd Webber's revival of ''The Sound of Music''. In 2008, she joined the cast of ''Carousel'' as Nettie Fowler. The production toured the UK and then transferred to the West End's Savoy Theatre. In 2013 she returned to opera with the monodrama '' La Voix humaine'' for Opera North.

She created the role of Val in ''Pleasure'', the first opera by Mark Simpson, directed by Tim Albery and premiered at the Howard Assembly Room by Opera North, in April 2016.

Garrett is a member of the board of the English National Opera and a vice president of Harrogate International Festivals.

In 2002 Garrett was appointed a CBE for her services to music. She was also awarded with a BASCA Gold Badge Award in October 2010, in recognition of her contribution to music.

Performances at sporting events

Garrett has performed at several FA Cup Finals, including the 2000 Final, the last to be held at the old Wembley Stadium, the 2007 final held at the new Wembley Stadium (alongside Sarah Brightman), and the 2008 Final (alongside Katherine Jenkins

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