Singing sensation is now Phantom’s girl

Kelly won over Lloyd Webber to seal role she dreamed of

A singing sensation is set to perform under the bright lights of London’s West End in a lead role.

Kelly Mathieson, 24, will play the female lead as Christine Daaé in The Phantom of the Opera.

The soprano, from Ayr, made her opera debut in January this year at the Scottish Opera in a performance of Le Nozze Di Figaro - but this will be her biggest role to date.

The show will take place at Her Majesty’s Theatre and the opening performance will take place on September 4.

Kelly will need plenty of stamina as she will be performing six nights a week for a year - including double shows on Thursdays and Saturdays.

She portrays Christine, who is the lover of the Phantom himself.

She went through five gruelling rounds of auditons for the role, with the final one being judged by the one- and- only Andrew Lloyd Webber.

The process took four months but it was finally announced on Thursday that Kelly’s hard work had paid off and she would play Christine.

She said: “This is just a dream come true, that is the only way to describe it really. I am still numb since I found out it is just surreal.

“I have always wanted to play this role since I started performing and it has been an amazing experience so far.

“I have been working with some incredible people since we started rehearsals.

“It will be tough going as I will be performing pretty much constantly for a year, but it will most definitely worth it.”

Kelly grew up in Ayr, studying at Belmont Academy, and she was taught how to perform by Lorna Davidson since she was 11.

She moved to London in 2011 after she was offered a place at the Royal College of Music - where she graduated from in 2015.

Her parents Steven and Ann could not be more proud.

Steven explained: “When Kelly was singing at Alloway Primary, her teacher was Lorna, who had also studied at the Royal College.

“Lorna took me and Kelly’s mum aside and told us she was desperate to work with Kelly on a one- to- one basis because she could see the potential in her – even at that age.