A colleague had once asked me what I would like to do should I ever decide to move on from Opera North and I said “I’d love to run a festival!” 

When the opportunity at Leeds Lieder (as it then was) arose, I thought it would be my last great professional adventure before retirement and I was delighted to be appointed. When I retired in 2014, I was invited to join the Board and was subsequently appointed Chair in 2017. 

 Song and singing have been close to my heart since I was about 7 years old. I am of the fortunate generation to have been at school when music was regarded as essential to a rounded education, and I fell in love with Schubert aged 11, when our music teacher played a recording of Dietrich Fischer-Dieskau and Gerald Moore performing the final song of Winterreise. Thank you, Myra Watson, for setting me on the path to where I am now. Like everyone involved with Leeds Song, I am proud of what has been achieved since 2005 and want us to welcome as many people as possible to discover, explore and savour the joy of that magical chemistry of poetry, music, singers and pianists. Our acclaimed work in schools is a crucial part of that journey. I want our schoolchildren to be as lucky as I was all those years ago.