A Co Antrim mother who "had to start from scratch" after Covid left her unable to perform has been selected to perform at a prestigious international concert.
Sarah Richmond, from Carrickfergus, is one of 40 classical singers selected from over 450 applications to perform for Debut Concerts at Weikersheim Castle in Germany, something she could not have imagined after being left "unable to breathe" after testing positive for Covid.
After being forced to stop working in order to recover, the mum-of-one said she lacked confidence despite having been a performer since she was "no age".
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Speaking to Belfast Live, Sarah said: "It started with Frank Sinatra, then musicals, then classical music. I love going on an emotional journey with an audience, no matter what the genre.
"I completed my BMus (Hons) at Queen's University of Belfast, then moved to England for my postgraduate training at the Royal Northern College of Music. After that, I trained in London as an English National Opera 'Opera Works' Artist."
With an impressive CV spanning from performing with the Ulster Orchestra to Elizabeth Harwood Award, some of Sarah's career highlights have included winning the Toronto Mozart Vocal Competition in 2021 and performing Mendelssohn's A Midsummer Night's Dream conducted by Sir Mark Elder.
Sarah's world was stopped in her tracks when she was left unable to sing and follow her passion during the pandemic, with the effects of Covid lasting over a year.
"Covid was awful. The lower lobes of my lungs felt stuck together," she said. "I couldn't get a decent breath - I monitored my oxygen levels to avoid hospital admission or intubation unless really necessary.
"The first 4 days were the scariest, but the damage lasted nearly a year and without being able to breathe, I couldn't move much. I lost muscle tone from being in bed so long; simply standing up was tiring.
"I got, what I call, brain fog. I forgot common words, and couldn't memorise music. My mental processing speed took months to get back."
Having to provide for her son, Sarah headed back to work after two months but it was clear she still wasn't physically capable of working.
She added: "I was offered a one-off concert with a brilliant company, which I couldn't accept whilst on sick pay, so I had to resign. I really miss my team, but in the long run it has meant being able to focus on my singing and my son.
"Singing is all about breath and I was devasted to have to withdraw from music contracts. It's a competitive industry: once you are replaced, you may never get back into that company.
"I had to start from scratch with breathing exercises and lung training. Covid knocked my confidence because I wasn't capable of the things that I was in the past.
"I had to carefully rebuild not just my voice, but my body and my mind. My voice has recovered, but I'm still working on the rest."
Sarah is the only singer from the UK and Ireland to be placed in the top 40 selected to sing in Germany and is in the running to win a €10,000 prize. After the first round of eliminations, she has reached the semi-final.
She continued: "I am so proud of where I'm from. I tell everyone about the North East coast - I've performed across the United Kingdom and Ireland and have happy memories from all over.
"Representing UK/Ireland abroad is very special to me. Most people here [Germanty] are multilingual; everyone is at least bilingual, and I'm getting by with the little bit of German I have.
"It's exciting being the only native English speaker. I'm soaking up other cultures and learning about the world. I'm also learning from music workshops with Pia-Marie Nilsson and Ralf Tiedemann, and watching my contemporaries perform. Being here is definitely inspiring me to get on with my German lessons."
Her advice for anyone wanting to follow their passion and see where it takes them is that "life is short".
"You never know what is around the corner, so live your life while you are able to enjoy it. Follow your passion. Open yourself to experiences: give it a go. Chose happiness."
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