By Pam McClounie

Last updated 08:10, Friday, 14 November 2008

Cumbrian soprano Sally Johnson is celebrating after landing a £1.25m recording deal with music giant SonyBMG.

Bringing opera to the masses: 30-year-old Sally Johnson grew up in Hallbankgate

The nationally-acclaimed star, who is now a professional singing teacher, is one of five members of The Gala Ensemble.

Later this month the talented quintet, will release their first record – a tribute to legendary comic opera composers Gilbert & Sullivan.

The deal will see songs from Pirates of Penzance, The Mikado and HMS Pinafore.

Sally, 30, grew up in Hallbankgate, near Brampton, and moved to Penrith when she was 13.

She studied at the Royal Northern College of Music in Manchester and is the daughter of former Penrith violin-maker Michael Johnson.

Sally, a former Queen Elizabeth Grammar School pupil, said: “The idea with this is to bring light opera to people, although Gilbert & Sullivan has never really gone away. It has a huge following all over the world.

“We have all sung with each other before, but The Gala Ensemble is a very recent thing. We got together in August and it has been like a whirlwind.

“The £1.25m is how much money Sony is putting into the project.”

SonyBMG said the singers’ previous experience in opera and theatre productions made them the perfect choice to front the label’s high-profile promotion of the works of Gilbert & Sullivan, the first time it has been attempted in 25 years.

Sally performed a special Songs for Spring concert at Rheged, near Penrith, in 2006.

She is married to Wil Woan, formerly of High Carleton, Penrith, and now a civil servant with the Big Lottery Fun in Manchester.

The couple have a son, Michael, aged three.

The album will be released on November 24.