Performer: Dame Felicity Lott

An old instrument, a veteran star singer, and a late rose all bloom at Oxford's annual songfest.

Le Roi Carrotte, simmered by Laurent Pelly in the cooking pots of the Opéra de Lyon

From time to time, audiences are presented with what I consider to be a rare event, a “dream” performer: one so convincing in his or her role that they become an ideal, establishing a standard to which all following interpretations will inevitably be compared – for example, Jacqueline du Pré’s interpretation of Elgar’s Cello Concerto has become a timeless benchmark.