 She began to sing opera, first with Sadler's Wells Opera, and joined the D'Oyly Carte in 1972.There she moved up from chorister to small-role player, understudying larger roles, taking on the major mezzo-soprano role of Mad Margaret in "Ruddigore" in 1975.In 1977, she took over as the company's principal contralto, playing ten of these leading roles with the company until its closure in 1982.