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Tina · Moderator Joined: 01 Mar 2003 Posts: 275 Location: England

There is a programme on UK TV, Tuesday 16th December, Channel 4. 9pm.
It is called, 'Operatunity, the winners story'.
It shows what happened to the 2 winners after Rigoletto, the competitions are over, now the real work begins!
I am really looking forward to this! Not to be missed!
Tina 8)
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La tua voce e come un dolce dolores nel mio cuore! Non c'e nessuno migliore di te!!

Melodie · Posted: Wed Dec 17, 2003 8:20 am Post subject:

After watching the program, Paul - "public_saxophone" - sent this message to me (he wasn't sure where to post it):

...it was basically a "talent competition" to try and discover a new UK Opera singer, held earlier this year and had something like 2,500 contestants.

In the end two women "won", one of them a blind soprano - Denise Leigh, with the most stunning and pure voice and a wicked personality. She went into Abbey Road recording studios a couple of months ago with the other winner (another soprano and pretty good herself, too !) and they recorded an album. Some of this was filmed and shown ealrier tonight on the television, as an update to what we'd seen earlier in the year - I should have recorded it, but didn't !!!

They were both working to very tight deadlines, extremely aggressive and the stress certainly showed at various points. At 8:15pm - the last possible take for the day, on the last day - the film crew were filming and the studio orchestra conductor decided that they would try and do a single "live" take of the last number for the album ....... somewhat running behind schedule.

Wow ............ the Puccini aria - O Mio Babino Caro .......... the best version I've ever heard, or seen, sung beautifully by the blind soprano. It was so good it left the producer, conductor and recording crew totally choked and obviously very emotional - they could hardly speak. The conductor said he was expecting something special, which is why they decided to film and record it .............. but he just sat there gently shaking his head from side to side after it had finished. The producer could only mutter a few coferent words ... something along the lines of "when she sings, it hits me ..... straight in the heart".

I should have recorded it ........ blast me for not doing it !!

Apparently the album has just been released and is at #5 in the classical charts, here in the UK !!

They also showed some footage of Andrea and Denise (but not singing) at a dinner organised by the Royal National Insitute for the Blind (RNIB) ....

Sally · Posted: Wed Dec 17, 2003 9:28 am Post subject:

I watched it and Andrea was seen in the background in quite a few shots, so I hope everyone else here in the UK saw it as well. Denise does indeed have a beautiful, pure and soulful voice and she works so hard that I really hope opera producers in the future can see beyond her disability, have faith in her and give her some work. I also hope she was presented to Andrea at the dinner because he would surely inspire her to persevere with her dream. That programme has been absolutely wonderful! The fact that a till girl from Tesco and a young, untrained blind woman can do so well should inspire us all to pursue our ambitions, no matter how big or small they may be. I sincerely hope that the pair of them achieve all their dreams!
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"Where are we REALLY going? Always home."

Tina · Moderator Joined: 01 Mar 2003 Posts: 275 Location: England

Yes i watched it, and i really enjoyed it! Denise Leigh is a lovely lady, no airs and graces about her! She has a wicked sense of humour too!
Her voice is truly beautiful, and Jane Gilchrist has an exceptional voice too, put them together and WOW!! I have the cd and i can recommend it highly.
We got to see Andrea in the line up meeting the Queen, Prince Philip, and Prince Edward, but unfortunately he wasnt interviewed!
Denise did meet him, and was given an Andrea goody bag with all his recordings! She was very impressed!
He said he would like to work with her one day!
If you would like to read what she said go to
http://www.deniseleigh.com
click on web diary and scroll down to St James Palace!
:)
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La tua voce e come un dolce dolores nel mio cuore! Non c'e nessuno migliore di te!!