Lesley Garrett

Infobox Person


image_size = 150px
name = Lesley Garrett
birth_date = Birth date and age|1955|4|10|df=y
birth_place = Thorne, Doncaster, South Yorkshire, England
death_date =
death_place =
occupation = Singer
Broadcaster

Lesley Garrett CBE (born 10 April 1955) is an English soprano and media personality. [http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk/1734956.stm Lesley Garrett: Doncaster's own diva] , BBC website. URL accessed on 7 February, 2007 ]

Early life

Garrett was born in the town of Thorne near Doncaster in South Yorkshire, into a musical family. She attended Thorne Grammar School where she performed in school plays and musicals. As she grew up she inherited her family's love of music. Her grandfather was a classical pianist, her father worked as a railway signalman and then as a schoolteacher, and her mother was a talented singing seamstress. - To earn money in the summer when 19, she washed dishes at the officers' mess at nearby RAF Lindholme, where she received two marriage proposals [http://www.thisismoney.co.uk/celebrity/article.html?in_article_id=421297&in_page_id=181] .

Music

Garrett has had an extensive music career. A graduate of the Royal Academy of Music, she won the Decca Prize of the Kathleen Ferrier Award in 1979, thereby launching her career. [cite web
url = http://www.ferrierawards.org.uk/main/winners.asp
title = The Kathleen Ferrier Awards — Winners
accessdate = 2008-03-06] During her time 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" and "Die Fledermaus".

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. [ [http://www.classicfm.com/article.asp?id=209974 Lesley Garrett on Classic FM] ]

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. [ [http://www.classicfm.com/article.asp?id=209974 Lesley Garrett on Classic FM] ]

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 alongside Sarah Brightman in 2007, before the match between Manchester United and Chelsea, and in 2008 alongside Katherine Jenkins before the match between Cardiff City and Portsmouth.

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.cite episode |title=Who Do You Think You Are? with Lesley Garrett |url=http://www.bbc.co.uk/history/familyhistory/get_started/wdytya_s1_celeb_gallery_08.shtml
series=Who Do You Think You Are? | serieslink=Who Do You Think You Are? |network=BBC |station=BBC Two |airdate=2004-11-30] 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. [ [http://www.thestage.co.uk/podcasts/2007/02/lesley_garrett_podcast_transcript.php The Stage — Lesley Garrett podcast transcript] ] She has gained a large male-following on the internet due to her good looks and voluptuous busty figure.Garrett currently presents a show on the British classical radio station Classic FM.

From February 2008, Garrett presented the show "Lesley Garrett's 20 Operas to See Before You Die" on "Sky Arts". [ [http://www.skyarts.co.uk/SkyArts/Opera/Article.aspx?artid=5315 Programme details on Sky Arts web page] ]

Personal life

Garrett married in May 1991: her husband is a GP in Muswell Hill. They have a son and a daughter and the family lives in north London.

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 Light" (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

External links

* [http://www.lesleygarrett.co.uk Lesley Garrett's Official Website]
* [http://www.theatre.com/ask_a_star/id/3004458 2006 article on Lesley Garrett on Theatre.com]
* [http://www.classicfm.com/sectional.asp?id=9432 Lesley Garrett's page on "Classic FM"]
*imdb name|id=0308162|name=Lesley Garrett
* [http://www.classicalx.com/Lesley_Garrett.html Lesley Garrett's section on ClassicalX]