LESLEY GARRETT

'Lesley Garrett' CBE (born in Thorne, South Yorkshire on 10 April 1955) is an English soprano and media personality.^[1]

Contents

Music

Television and radio

Discography

CDs

DVDs

Bibliography

References

External links

Music

Garrett has had an extensive music career. A graduate of the Royal Academy of Music, she won the Kathleen Ferrier Prize in 1979, thereby launching her career. During her time as principal soprano at English National Opera, she became well-known for her performances in productions of the operas ''Le Nozze di Figaro'', ''Così fan tutte'' and ''Die Fledermaus''.¹
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, The 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.^[2]
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. As of November 2006, for six months she is performing as Mother Abbess in Andrew Lloyd Webber's revival of ''The Sound of Music''.
Garrett created the role of Cathy in the London studio recording of Bernard J. Taylor's operatic version of ''Wuthering Heights'', which also featured Dave Willetts, Bonnie Langford and other leading singers from the British musical stage. Her rendition of "I Belong to The Earth" was included on two of her solo albums.
As a recording artist, Garrett has released eleven solo albums. Many of them have been successful, receiving gold and silver status. ''Soprano in Red'' received the Gramophone Award for "Best-selling Classical Artist of the Year". Garrett was also a featured artist on the platinum selling "Perfect Day" single released by the BBC in aid of Children in Need.^[2]
Garrett is a member of the board of the English National Opera. In 2002, she was awarded the CBE for her services to music. She performed at the FA Cup Final final at the new Wembley Stadium in 2007, before the match between Manchester United and Chelsea.

Television and radio

In 2004, Garrett was one of the participants in the first series of the celebrity talent contest ''Strictly Come Dancing'', finishing third with her dance partner Anton du Beke. In the same year, she took part in the BBC's ''Who Do You Think You Are?'', a genealogy documentary series, in which she journeyed through her home town of Thorne in search of her family history. Garrett was delighted to discover that the musical gene stretched far back and had run in her family for several generations.^[4]
Garrett is a veteran of Dictionary Corner on the Channel 4 game show ''Countdown'' and in June 2005 it was thought that she was to become one of the show's rotating guest hosts while Richard Whiteley was recovering from illness. After Whiteley's death, however, the plan for rotating guest hosts was abandoned and Des Lynam took the role for the next fifteen months.
In February 2005, Garrett was selected to be one of the judges for BBC's ''Comic Relief does Fame Academy'' and in May, she hosted and sang at the 2005 Classical BRIT Awards at the Royal Albert Hall on ITV. In 2006, Garrett was a regular panelist on the ITV daytime show ''Loose Women''. Garrett also appeared on ''This Morning'' and ''Loose Women'' in 2007, to perform a song from her latest album ''When I Fall In Love''. She also continued the post as a judge on ''Comic Relief Does Fame Academy'' in 2007.^[5]
Garrett currently presents a show on the British classical radio station Classic FM.

Discography

CDs

★ ''Diva! A Soprano At The Movies'' (1991)

★ ''Bernard J. Taylor's "Wuthering Heights" (1992)

★ ''Prima Donna'' (1992)

★ ''Simple Gifts'' (1994)

★ ''Soprano in Red'' (1995)

★ ''Soprano in Hollywood'' (1996)

★ ''A Soprano Inspired'' (1997)

★ ''Lesley Garrett'' (1998)

★ ''Travelling Night'' (2001)

★ ''The Singer'' (2002)

★ ''So Deep is the Night'' (2003)

★ ''The Best of Lesley Garrett'' (2004)

★ ''When I Fall In Love'' (2007) — #11 UK

DVDs

★ ''Lesley Garrett'' (1998)

★ ''I Will Wait For You'' (2000)

★ ''Notes From The Heart'' (2003)

★ ''Desert Dreams'' (2004)

★ ''Lesley Garrett: Music from the Movies'' (2006)

Bibliography

★ ''Notes From a Small Soprano''

★ ''Lesley Garrett: My Autobiography''

★ ''Lesley Garrett Song Collection''

References

1. Lesley Garrett: Doncaster's own diva, BBC website. URL accessed on 7 February, 2007
2. Lesley Garrett on Classic FM
3. Lesley Garrett on Classic FM
4. Lesley Garrett on ''Who Do You Think You Are?''
5. The Stage — Lesley Garrett podcast transcript

External links

★ Lesley Garrett's Official Website

★ 2006 article on Lesley Garrett on Theatre.com

★ Lesley Garrett's page on ''Classic FM''

★

★ Lesley Garrett on ''Who Do You Think You Are?''

★ Lesley Garrett's section on ClassicalX