SOPRANO

Born in Audley, Staffordshire, Denise Leigh began her career as a brass player, before gaining a Sainsbury’s Gatesby Trust award to continue her studies. Awarded a place at the Royal Northern College of Music, she continues to work with Lillian Watson. She first came to wider prominence as a Winner of the English National Opera / Channel 4 TV programme Operatunity, which won the Prix Italia 2003, and led to an appearance as Gilda Rigoletto (shared with her Co-Winner Jane Gilchrist) at the London Coliseum. She has since returned to ENO for Orlando Gough’s For the Public Good and other stage work has included Russell Barr’s play The Super / Naughty XXXmas Story at Wilton’s Music Hall.

Denise Leigh has appeared with Clonter Opera as well as at the BBC Proms in the Park, Belfast Proms in the Park, Friday Night is Music Night and Songs of Praise. She undertook an extensive concert tour, A Night at the Opera, with Jane Gilchrist, Alan Oke and Wyn Pencarreg, and has also appeared on Counterpoint and presented In Touch for the BBC. Other engagements have taken her to the Royal Albert Hall for Classic fM live with the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra, Symphony Hall, Birmingham, the Chester Summer Music Festival and the Three Choirs Festival, Hereford.

She sings regularly in concert, her recent engagements including the Brahms Requiem in St Albans Abbey and Rochester Cathedral, Messiah at the London Handel Festival and with the Orchestra of St John’s, Samson with the Brook Street Band and the Mostly Mozart Tour for Calibre Productions. Current engagements include, Messiah for Nottingham Harmonic Society and with the Con Tempo Orchestra, Dublin, the Utrecht Te Deum for the Ten Tors Orchestra, Mahler Symphony No. 2 with the Orchestral Musicians of Northern Ireland, Mozart Mass in C Minor for Angmering Chorale, Choir 2000, Cambridge, and the Isle of Wight Cantata Choir, Mozart Requiem for the Galway Choral Association, Carmina Burana at The Mote Hall, Maidstone, and The Swan Theatre, High Wycombe and The Marriage of Excellence Concert Series, Beijing, as well as return visits to the Battle Proms 2008 and Music by Moonlight in Dubai.

The CD Operatunity Winners on EMI Classics, was a best seller in Britain and Northern Europe, gaining a silver disc, staying in the Classic FM top ten for 16 weeks and remaining at the number one position in the core Classical Chart for five months. It was also nominated for a BRIT award. Denise Leigh’s début solo CD Pie Jesu is now also available on EMI.

In 2008, Denise Leigh was awarded an Honourary Doctorate from Staffordshire University for Services to Music.

 

Please note that this biography is not to be used for programmes. Current information is available on request.