IT is indeed a privilege to enjoy An Audience With Lesley Garrett.

The South Yorkshire-born opera superstar, who celebrated her 60 th birthday in April, is coming to Basingstoke at the weekend and I have a proper chat with the warm, effusive Lesley in advance of the concert to find out a little more about what’s in store on the evening.

She’s clearly very excited about the chance to celebrate many successful years with audiences of her loyal fans.

“It’s an opportunity for me to integrate with the audience and communicate with them,” she begins. “I am going to talk about my life and career, and I’ll be singing some of the songs that have mattered to me or that have illustrated periods of my life. The audience can make requests and I will be answering questions, too. It’s going to be wonderful.

“I have always been and will continue to be grateful for the audiences who turn up and want to hear you.”

In 2015, Lesley Garrett also celebrates 35 years working as a professional singer and her achievements in that time are numerous and impressive.

She joined English National Opera in 1984, making her Royal Opera debut in their production of The Merry Widow in 1997.

Lesley also has fourteen solo CDs to her credit and has consistently made major television appearances – including Strictly Come Dancing in 2004 - in addition to operatic performances in the UK and all over the world.

“I’m just as active as I ever was,” she enthuses, “and I’m grateful to be able to continue doing what I do. It’s down to good genes and good training; I’ve developed and honed my technique.

“I’ve just had an opera written for me by Opera North and I enjoyed the challenge of that as much as performing The Sound of Music in New Zealand last year.

“I have met a lot of people and been a lot of places so this evening is an opportunity to go down memory lane to celebrate it all.”

I am sure one of the questions which Lesley might be asked at her Audience With event, which is coming to The Anvil on Sunday, October 18 at 7.30pm, is which of her many collaborations stand out as being particularly memorable?

She thinks for a moment before replying: “I’d have to say Paul O’Grady / Lily Savage. We performed The Cat Duet (Duetto buffo di due gatti) at a Stonewall awards ceremony. I had the best time with him; he’s a good friend.”

She is also keen to communicate with her audiences her general passion for music, her belief in its transformative power and in the importance of a musical education.

“We’ll have a really great time discussing what the future holds. I’m passionate about the position of music in society, in schools for example. I wouldn’t be here today without my school, who spotted and supported my talent and gave me an amazing start. I got a full grant for four years at music college and that just doesn’t exist anymore.

"Why is it an optional extra in schools? It seems to be crazy when it’s so much a part of our lives.

“Music teaches kids so much about who they are. I learned all my languages through music - it has enriched my life in an immeasurable way.”

Tickets: £26

Box office: 01256 844244, anvilarts.org.uk