Lesley Garrett

Lesley Garrett has performed in most opera houses around the world and in 2002, was awarded the CBE for services to music.

Born in Thorne, South Yorkshire on April 10th, 1955, Lesley launched her successful singing career after winning the 1979 Kathleen Ferrier Prize. For many years, she was Principal Soprano at the English National Opera, winning rave reviews for her performances in productions of The Marriage of Figaro, Cosi Fan Tutti and Die Fledermaus amongst others.

As a recording artist, Lesley has released eleven solo albums: 'Soprano in Red' which received the Gramophone Award for Best-selling Classical Artist of the Year, 'Diva! A Soprano At The Movies', 'Prima Donna', 'Simple Gifts', 'Soprano in Hollywood' and 'I Will Wait for You', which all received silver discs, and 'A Soprano Inspired' and 'Lesley Garrett', which both achieved gold status.

She has performed internationally across Europe, the USA , Australia, Russia, Brazil, Japan, Malaysia, Taiwan and South Korea and has sang opera plus pop classics with Bryan Ferry, The Eurythmics and Mick Hucknall in the grounds of the Royal Observatory and National Maritime Museum in Greenwich, to celebrate the arrival of the new century on Millennium Eve.

Lesley's most recent albums are 'Travelling Light', 'The Singer', and 'So Deep is the Night' and she also featured on the platinum selling 'Perfect Day' single released by the BBC in aid of Children in Need.

Alongside her full performing schedule and maintaining her position as one of the UK's most successful female recording artists, Lesley is a board member of the ENO. She also presented The Opera Show on Classic FM, and took up ballroom dancing for the BBC series 'Strictly Come Dancing'.