Sunday was an exciting and slightly daunting day. My good friend and wonderful soprano Louise Wayman was due to be performing Bach Cantata 32 with Sir James Galway and the Orchestra of St John but unfortunately she became unwell and couldn’t perform that evening. A phone call from John Lubbock at 12 noon and I was suddenly to be performing a piece I had never heard or sung before just 7 hours later! With Sir Galway! It was a real learning curve to see how I reacted to this new pressure and, in the end, it was a very enjoyable experience. I do, however, now appreciate my practice sessions even more as I had underestimated how much there is a sense of a song or aria being in your body and muscles and how much I rely on my ‘body memory’ to know how to phrase a line or find a staccato note at speed. So…… back to the practice room I go (via a few mince pies!) Merry Christmas!