A rising classical music star from Wigan is to perform for the Duke of Edinburgh at Windsor Castle
A Wigan-born soprano is to serenade guests at a royal spectacular taking place at Windsor Castle this week.
Lucy Farrimond, who is making ever bigger waves in the world of opera and oratorio, is among a select number of musicians invited by the Duke of Edinburgh to perform during and after a golf celebration dinner.
It marks another important staging post in the Standish 27-year-old’s career which has already included singing at the BBC Proms, appearing on several national television and radio channels and taking to the stage in concerts across Europe in operas, concerts and recitals.
Lucy is there at the behest of Prince Edward on the occasion of the Duke of Edinburgh Golf International Award Foundation holding a dinner for the International Golf Charity and Duke of Edinburgh Cup World Final and she will perform two pieces between courses and then be joined by other soloists for a recital afterwards.
On the programme are arias by Puccini, Mozart, Verdi and Léhar plus the song I Could Have Danced All Night from Lerner and Loewe’s musical My Fair Lady.
Lucy said: “I have never performed at Windsor Castle before. It's very exciting and I'm delighted to have been invited.
"I have actually met Prince Edward twice before, not that he’ll remember: once as a door opener when he visited the Stoller Hall at Chetham’s School of Music and also when I received my Duke of Edinburgh award when he was standing in for Prince Philip who was ill at the time.
"We have been told there will be time to have a chat with him afterwards which will be nice.”
Lucy said that a royal performance would look good on her CV and was a great way to start her new season of performances which also comprise this week alone a recital of English songs at St Xavier’s Church, Pimlico, in which she accompanies herself on the piano – an uncommon feat in art music something she feels could be a unique selling point – and a Baroque concert with an orchestra.
The singer hasn’t forgotten her roots and often returns to perform in Wigan. In fact she’s back at her old school of Standish High in November to hand out prizes.
On leaving school she was admitted to “Chet’s” as a singer, pianist and composer and then completed an opera masters degree at the Royal Northern College of Music, studying with Jane Irwin. She is also mentored by another great soprano, Amanda Roocroft, who herself only hails from up the road in Coppull.
Since completing her qualifications, Lucy has been a freelance singer, performing in operas, oratorios and recitals while garnering many awards in singing competitions.
At just 21, she made her BBC Proms solo debut in 2019, performing Haydn's The Creation at the Royal Albert Hall with the BBC Philharmonic Orchestra - an acclaimed performance that earned praise in The Guardian.
She was a Richard Wagner Scholarship holder this year and has worked with top conductors, including Sir Mark Elder, Sakari Oramo and David Parry and performed alongside renowned orchestras such as The Hallé, BBC Philharmonic, BBC Symphony Orchestra and Royal Philharmonic Orchestra.