Born in Hamilton, South Lanarkshire, she studied in Glasgow and at the London Opera Centre, making her debut as Susanna in Le nozze di Figaro. After singing with Scottish Opera and the Welsh National Opera, she then appeared with the English National Opera from 1978, and at the Royal Opera House in London from 1980. Her international career has included guest roles at the Hamburg State Opera, Deutsche Oper Berlin, Paris Opéra, Bavarian State Opera, and the Metropolitan Opera of New York, Vienna State Opera and the Salzburg Festival. In 2013 she appeared in World Premiers of "The Perfect American by Phillip Glass (Madrid) and "A Harlot's Progress" by Iain Bell (Vienna).