People often ask me how it was that I decided to follow singing as a career and what is my musical background. My first musical experiences began as soon as I could move myself to the upright piano that my parents had in the basement. I was fascinated by this way of making sound and, if missing, I could always be found making up tunes and strange harmonies at the keyboard. My grandmother had been a very talented pianist and my parents decided that lessons might be a good idea. So, at the age of 5, I began piano lessons with respected teacher, musician and family friend, Patricia Nicholson. Pat was an active musician throughout the area and was also deeply involved with Aldeburgh Music Festival from it's outset; she was a close friend of Benjamin Britten. She encouraged and supported my musicality, with an unshakable instinct that in some form, music would be my path. This relationship became fundamental to my decision to pursue music as a career and continues to provide me with an unswerving touchstone and a treasured friendship.

Studies of the clarinet and viola followed, with membership of various local youth orchestras, choirs and music groups. However, it was joining the Suffolk Jubilee Choir, the county's youth choir, that started me on the path to singing as a career. I had loved my instrumental studies but had always enjoyed the ensemble elements most, rather than feeling any solo aspirations. While singing, I felt a completely different response. I wanted to be heard! Solo opportunities within the choir quickly followed, with Constant Lambert's The Rio Grande at Snape Maltings and a tour of France including Tours Cathedral and Notre Dame de Paris with Vivaldi's Gloria. Pat advised singing lessons. Many afternoons were spent around the piano sight-reading through volumes of vocal music. I had no idea at this stage how much that sight-reading would be of assistance!


After much thought, I chose to study music at a University first before pursuing conservatoire studies. I picked the University of Birmingham with voice as my first study instrument. During Freshers Week, I got up the nerve and auditioned for the University Chamber Choir, BULC, which again offered many solo opportunities, and also auditioned and was successful in gaining a Choral Scholarship at St Alban's Church, Highgate in Birmingham. St Alban's had a great tradition of English choral music, none of which I'd come across before. As a choral scholar I had to lead the Alto section and perform any solos that might come along. Sight-reading ability was a pre-requisite and my skills were tested to the full, and strengthened along the way!

My time at Birmingham was bitter-sweet, mainly because I developed Post Viral Fatigue Syndrome during my 2nd year, which led to me having to re-take my second year again and not really recovering fully until after my degree was over. However, my professors were very supportive and helped me along the way. While in my final year, I auditioned for and was accepted to join the well respected choir, Ex Cathedra, where I had my first eye-opening experiences of Early Music performance practice. I had many solo opportunities within this wonderful group of which I was a member for 7 years, and have been lucky enough to return to work with them again recently as a soloist in some high profile concerts.

I took a couple of years out after graduating to make sure I had fully recuperated, and worked to save up the money required for postgraduate study. I worked for Arts organisation, Birmingham Arts Marketing while continuing private singing studies with Margaret Thomas, and taking any singing work that I could. Then in 1995, I gained a postgraduate place at the Royal Academy of Music and moved down to London. I remember very clearly visiting Primrose Hill with my Aunt Liz and her 'introducing' me to London, all spread out in the distance as far as I could see! Yikes!

My start at the RAM was a little rocky. I came in as a Postgraduate but took classes with the 3rd year undergraduates. I was extremely intimidated by the environment at first as I had virtually no repertoire to speak of and felt very much at sea, seeing only my weak spots. I nearly withdrew in my first term but, thanks to the faith of my teacher, Julie Kennard and particularly my wonderful coach, Clara Taylor and Head of Studies, Mark Wildman, I gave it another go in the Spring Term. This time, I was determined not to be intimidated and came back fighting! The rest of my time there was a great experience and I learnt an enormous amount. I was awarded significant bursaries for my second and third years, eventually graduating with the prestigious DipRAM in 1998 and several prizes. I also was made an AYCA with the National Federation of Music Societies, now part of Making Music, which put me in touch with music societies and choirs all over the UK, some of whom I am still in contact with. Then, in 2002 the RAM awarded me an Associateship, of which I'm very proud.


Following graduation, I began lessons with Noelle Barker OBE and began the life of a full-time professional singer. I was able to continue to work with a lot of the choirs and organisations that I'd been in contact with whilst a student. I knew that I had to somehow make contact with some of the Early music groups and continue this kind of performance, so the following New Year's Day, I set myself a resolution that I had to contact Trevor Pinnock's choir manager and ask for an audition within the month. I made the call on the 31st! As it turned out, Trevor was arranging to hear singers for a world-wide St Matthew Passion project he was planning, with all soloists to be taken from the choir. This seemed the perfect opportunity so I went along and had possibly my nicest audition ever. Trevor asked me to perform Nun ist mein Jesus hin and Können Tränen on the tour. Trevor was tremendously supportive of my career and gave me many more opportunities, including performances of Haydn's Arianna a Naxos on tour in Poland, the lead role in Purcell's Dido and Aeneas at Wigmore Hall and across Switzerland and the Proms performance of Bach's St Matthew Passion, this time as a 'out-front' soloist. The word spread and I spent most of the following few years singing the St Matthew Passion with groups including the Gabrielli Consort, the King's Consort and with Roger Norrington and the OAE and it introduced me completely into the English Early Music scene.

However, I was still determined to make sure I kept up singing lieder and song so after meeting the french pianist Emanuel Olivier on a masterclass course with Noelle in Paris, we decided to apply for the Franz Schubert Institut Summer course together as a duo. It still ranks as one of the most intense 5 weeks of my life, but also as one of the best! I met musicians from all over the world - I was the only British participant - and I worked with some amazing teachers including the late Hans Hotter and Walter Berry, Elly Ameling, Robert Holl, Helmut Deutsch and many others, including Robert Tear, who was to be influential in gaining me both my first agent and my first operatic experience.

I've been lucky enough to be able to pursue a career that allows me to enjoy all the variations of classical singing; opera, oratorio, concert performance and recital work. I've had wonderful advice and support from a very wide range of people and am lucky enough to continue some long term associations with conductors, festivals and organisations. Some of my personal highlights so far have included the Proms performance of Bach's St Matthew Passion with Trevor Pinnock and the English Concert, Handel's Jephtha with the CBSO conducted by Nicolas McGegan, Handel's Messiah with Huddersfield Choral Society, Elgar's Dream of Gerontius at Ely Cathedral, and performances of Handel's Orlando at the Drottningholm Court Theatre, Stockholm with Festspiel Orchester Göttingen, conducted by Nicolas McGegan.