Born and brought up in Lenzie, DAISY HENDERSON first started singing lessons at the age of fifteen with Essie Fleming who decided that it was too much work to make her practise the piano!
She took part in three Lenzie Academy shows - Die Fledermaus, Iolanthe and The Gipsy Baron.
On leaving school, she went to study for a Bachelor of Education degree at Jordanhill College and Glasgow University, and joined The Savoy Club taking part in The Yeomen of the Guard, The Pirates of Penzance and Trial by Jury.
After obtaining her degree, and a Primary Teaching Qualification, she spent a year in Stuttgart, Germany, working for the United States Armed Forces in Europe, before returning to Scotland to take up her teaching career. At this time she began to study singing privately with Winifred Busfield and joined the Edinburgh Festival Chorus (travelling to America with the Scottish National Orchestra Chorus, and Milan and Jerusalem with John Currie's Scottish Chorus) and Glasgow University's Cecilian Society where she performed the roles of a salesgirl in La Vie Parisienne, Leila in Iolanthe, Lady Angela in Patience, Casilda in The Gondoliers, and Saffi in The Gipsy Baron.
While continuing to teach during the day, she moved on to several other companies, performing as Mrs Bumble in the Apollo Players' production of Oliver, Kate in Clydebank Musical Society's production of Kiss Me Kate, Siobhan McEwing in Gallas, Hedy la Rue in How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying, Mabel in The Pickets of Penzance, Patience in Pantomime Patience, Miss Buttercup in HMSS Pinafore, Yum-Yum in The Mackado and the Mother in Amahl and the Night Visitors - all for Forum Arts Society. During this time, she also appeared with Glasgow Grand Operatic Society as Frasquita in Carmen, Juno in Orpheus in the Underworld and Adèle in Die Fledermaus. For Glasgow Opera Group, she has been Amelia in Amelia Goes to the Ball, Lisetta in Doctor Cupid, Miss Sweetsong in The Impresario, Miss Honey in Three's Company, The French Maid in Deadly Medley, and again, Adèle in Die Fledermaus.
She was also a founder member of Vocalise, performed with Song Machine and also ran her own performing group, Company and Co for several years. During this time she managed to find time to get married and produce two children and also do Extra Chorus work for Scottish Opera, appearing in Glasgow, Edinburgh, Aberdeen, Inverness, Newcastle, Liverpool and Oxford. She continued to teach part-time while her children were small, but joined Scottish Opera as a full-time chorus member in 1996.
With Scottish Opera she has covered many parts and performed many roles, the most notable of which are The Sandman in Hansel and Gretel, and Ida in Die Fledermaus. Solo concert performances include Handel's Messiah, Handel's German arias, Cedric Thorpe Davies' The Jolly Beggars with Linda Ormiston and Donald Maxwell, Zemlinski's Lyric Symphony and most recently, Haydn's Seasons in Glasgow Cathedral. Recitals have taken place in The Art Lover's House, The Lighthouse, St Mary's Cathedral, Greenock Town Hall, Oban, and Harry Ramsden's Opera and Chips in Edinburgh! She now studies with Patricia McMahon.
Daisy loves singing and finds it hard to believe that Scottish Opera actually pay her to do what she would be spending every spare minute doing anyway!
