Valerie Masterson
Valerie Masterson on how her father's stories inspired her love of theatre
Tuning in…
Tuning in…
Castaway
1 appearance
An opera singer and young star of the operatic stage.
On the island
Valerie Masterson on how her father's stories inspired her love of theatre
Eight records
unspecified children's recording
I would like very much to take one that belongs to my two children because I'd miss them very much
The keepsakes
In conversation
Presenter asks
0:34How well could you endure loneliness?
I just don't think I'd survive. Not complete loneliness on a desert island. I like to have time to myself. When I feel that if I need people, you know, they're there, but
Presenter asks
1:14Did you have any plan in choosing your eight records? What's the music to do for you?
Some of them I've chosen for nostalgic reasons, but I think it's basically just the sort of thing I would put on in the evening if I ever get a free evening to listen to records.
Presenter asks
4:10When did you decide that music was to be your profession?
About the age of eighteen, I would say.
Presenter asks
4:26Was that [qualifying as a radiographer] important to you or was it a sort of second string in case things went wrong with singing?
The luxury
It was a second string. It was always meant to be, yes, a good standby in case I um didn't make it as a singer.
Presenter asks
5:41What happened next [after leaving the Royal College with the award]?
Uh I had a scholarship to study in Italy. I went there for a year. … And then I went to Austria, to Salzburg, to the Landers Theatre and sang in with their opera company. And then I came back to England. … I decided to come back to England and I simply did auditions for every opera company here.
Presenter asks
10:13Are you a quick study?
Well, I've had to be up to now, but I'd like to think that in the future I'll have a longer time to study the roles that I'm going to do.
“I just don't think I'd survive. Not complete loneliness on a desert island. I like to have time to myself. When I feel that if I need people, you know, they're there, but”
“I've got those already. I don't need to go to the But uh yes, I mean uh just to name a few, I'm petrified of the dark and uh I can't bear creepy crawlies.”
“I think just theatre, because I I remember stories from way back in my childhood about my father, really. I think that's where it all started. It all sounded so exciting and romantic. And it was a a life, of course, that I didn't have any part in at that stage.”
“Well, yes. Um that morning I didn't have time to think. I just had to get up there and do it.”