ONE of Britain's most popular sopranos will perform in the Isle of Man in March.

Lesley Garrett will play The Royal Hall in the Villa Marina and will be accompanied by the National Symphony Orchestra for the evening.

As a recording artist Lesley has 13 solo CDs under her belt and regularly appears in opera and in concert.

Lesley studied at the Royal Academy of Music and at the National Opera Studio before making her debut at the Wexford Festival in Ireland.

This led to work with all the major opera companies in Great Britain culminating in a 12 year residency as a principal soprano with the English National Opera in 1984.

Her singing has taken her across the globe including Europe, the USA, Australia, Russia, Brazil, Japan, Malaysia, Taiwan and South Korea.

Two of her albums, A Soprano Inspired and Lesley Garrett, both achieved gold disc status. In 1996 Lesley's album Soprano in Red received the Gramophone Award for Best Selling Classical Artist of the Year.

Television credits include reaching the semi-finals of the first series of Strictly Come Dancing in 2004, becoming a panelist on the lunchtime show Loose Women in 2006 and again in 2009-2010 and as a judge for Comic Relief Does Fame Academy in 2007.

Lesley has also starred in many productions including The Merry Widow, Barber of Seville and The Sound of Music where she played the Mother Abbess.

In 2002 Lesley was awarded a CBE in the New Year's Honours List for Services to Music and is also a Member of the Board of the Royal Academy of Music.

Lesley Garrett and the National Symphony Orchestra concert will take place on Wednesday, March 23.

Tickets start at £45 and are available from the ticket hotline on 01624 600555, the Welcome Centre at the Sea Terminal or online at www.villagaiety.com.