Denise Leigh and Jane Gilchrist jointly won first prize in Operatunity in early 2003, a competition organized by the English National Opera and Channel 4 to discover hidden opera talent. Indeed, without the competition, these two ladies would probably never have achieved opera diva status. Jane Gilchrist worked as a cleaning lady and cashier to support her four children. And blind Denise Leigh had
… quit her job as a singing teacher after giving birth to her third child. But after winning Operatunity, both sopranos are in high demand in England. Their first joint CD Operatunity Winners was a great success and now their first solo CDs have been released by EMI. The albums Vocalise and Pie Jesu (ddx2417) offer a varied program that will do well with a wide audience: popular opera arias, songs, sacred chants and light classical music. (CP)more
