That was when I realised that music is the most profound, magical form of communication there is.

Just walking along Shaftesbury Avenue gave me such a buzz - it still does - and communicating with an audience through music is still the biggest thrill in the world.

I saw The Sound of Music when I was 10 and thought that it was the most beautiful singing I had ever heard.

And woven into the fabric of this harsh existence was music.

Seeing that made me understand how profound the drama of opera was and how music theatre is the most powerful audiovisual form there is.

I'm very pro presenting the best music I can to the widest audience possible.