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Lesley-Anne Sammons

Regarded as one of the UK’s most experienced and successful vocal coaches, Lesley-Anne’s consummate musicianship mixed with her effective and encouraging coaching style makes her the popular choice for singers and conductors across the globe.

Lesley Anne is a conductor, répétiteur, arranger and vocal coach based in the UK.

With over 40 years’ experience, she has worked the length of the UK from Faroe Islands to Cornwall, as well as across Europe at many of its foremost Opera Houses. She is widely regarded as one of the UK’s most versatile vocal coaches, having worked in the worlds of Opera, Musical Theatre, Radio and Theatre.

Lesley Anne studied at Trinity College of Music, The Guildhall School of Music and The National Opera Studio. Her first role as répétiteur was with Scottish Opera where she stayed for 6 years.

As a freelance Musical Director, Repetiteur and Coach, Lesley Anne has worked for Glyndebourne Festival and Tour, English National Opera, Opera North, English Touring Opera, Royal Opera House, Grange Park Opera, Opera Holland Park (conducted Madama Butterfly also with LPO, Barbiere di Siviglia) Longborough Festival Opera (conducted The Magic Flute and La Calisto), European Opera Centre and New Sussex Opera .

She is an Associate Lecturer at Chichester University coaching and nurturing young people in Classical Singing, Piano Accompaniment and Musical Theatre.

Internationally, she worked three seasons for Il Teatro Massimo , as well as regular outings with De Nederlandse Opera, L’Opera du Rhin and Festival Del Azahar.

Lesley Anne has been Musical Director with Barefoot Opera since 2010 where she has become a keen arranger of standard Opera repertoire including Carmen, L’Elisir D’Amore, La Boheme, Il Coronazione di Poppea and Il Barbiere di Siviglia, fusing Piano with Accordion, Double Bass and Clarinet. This ensemble has become The Barefoot Band.

Lesley Anne has been Musical Director with Barefoot Opera since 2010 where she has become a keen arranger of standard Opera repertoire including Carmen, L’Elisir D’Amore, La Boheme, Il Coronazione di Poppea and Il Barbiere di Siviglia, fusing Piano with Accordion, Double Bass and Clarinet. This ensemble has become The Barefoot Band.

In 2019 Longborough Festival Opera commissioned Lesley Anne to arrange La Calisto by Cavalli for Young Artists Opera for Harpsichord, Keyboard, Clarinet, Bass Clarinet, Accordion, Recorders Double Bass, Electric Bass and Percussion. La Calisto received much critical acclaim including a four star review in the Times.

In 2020, Lesley Anne was the Musical Director with Barefoot Opera for a new children’s opera Red by Lucy Mulgan and performances of Dido and Aeneas in Durham before Covid 19 put paid to live music. 2021 will hopefully see upcoming performances to include a double bill of Gluck and Mascagni. She will also take part in a new community opera project: Bloom Britannia written by Orlando Gough which has been re-scheduled for October. 

Despite a hectic ‘Zoom’ Vocal Coaching schedule, the lockdown gave her time to create an exciting new project for Longborough Opera 2021. Her re-imagined and quirky version of Cosi Fan Tutte for her now infamous Barefoot Band and Cast will be sure to challenge and delight the opera lovers of the Cotswolds.