Today I am talking to mezzo-soprano Lydia Jane Haynes. In our chat she shares her story of how suffering from cancer influenced her work and led her to becoming a teacher before embarking on her postgraduate studies to become a professional singer.

Lydia Jane Haynes is a 25 year old Mezzo-Soprano currently studying voice on The Guildhall School of Music and Drama Vocal Masters programme. Lydia's journey into Music has been a remarkably complex one that saw her overcoming the diagnosis of Thyroid cancer aged 16 and then undergoing two subsequent throat surgeries. Whilst rebuilding her vocal strength, Lydia became passionate about pedagogy and trained to be a secondary school teacher after completing her academic music undergraduate degree. With a passion for both performing and music education, Lydia is already carving out a career that involves her two passions, by both training at The Guildhall and working in music outreach education in her local borough, Tower Hamlets. 

Instagram @mslydiajane