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Lora Gadd
HERBAL teas and pineapple juice are great for the voice, according to would-be opera star Lora Gadd, who takes centre stage at the Stiwt Theatre tomorrow with her one-woman show A Bite at the Opera on June 21.
Her life-long passion for opera has seen her perform around the country between holding down a full time job as a TV producer.
Now the 27 year old, originally from Johnstown, Wrexham, is set for her most challenging gig yet - at prestigious Edinburgh Festival later this summer.
It's a big year for the girl who's heart has always been in music, but who, amazingly, didn't train in singing at school or college.
"At Durham university my degree was English literature, though I sang in my spare time. I've never really stopped singing wherever I've been."
Lora, whose stage name is Lora Gold, now shares a London apartment with boyfriend, magician Barry Jones, familiar to Channel 4 viewers for his Magick show. Barry is also on Edinburgh Festival programme for a first time.
"Luckily, he's Scottish and his mum lives there so we'll have somewhere to stay," said Lora, whose own mum, retired teacher Paula Gadd, still lives in Johnstown.
Lora's ambition is to make opera more accessible to the masses so she carefully planned her show to include a feast of light-hearted pieces and widely loved arias.
"I want to break down barriers. Many see opera as snobbish or beyond their grasp. It's on television, radio, in advertisements and theme music.
"It really doesn't matter if you know nothing about the genre. My show is for everyone, I want people to put negative perceptions aside, come along, enjoy the music and have a few laughs along the way."
She is on a mini-tour before the Edinburgh appearance and is thrilled to include the Stiwt.
"I know it well.
"I visited years ago before it was renovated.
"It's so good to be performing in my native town."
One reason she secured her Edinburgh Festival slot was because of her Welsh roots.
"I'll be performing at Venue 13, which is run by the Royal Welsh College of Music and Drama, and all acts who perform there need to have a Welsh connection. I was overjoyed to be accepted."
Lora is friends with Ruabon-born soprano Anne Williams-King, who now gives her lessons, as she also lives in London.
8pm Saturday, June 21 - A Bite at the Opera, The Stiwt Rhos, Wrexham.
Tickets: 01978 841 300
