JUDITH Howarth, the Glasgow-trained soprano who is currently taking

London's Royal Opera House by storm, left the Covent Garden limelight

yesterday to perform in Hamilton Town Hall.

Miss Howarth, 27, came to Scotland to fulfil an engagement with the

Strathaven Choral Society. She performed Mozart's Requiem and Hayden's

Paukenmesse to rapturous applause.

Only last week, Miss Howarth, who trained at the Royal Scottish

Academy of Music and Drama, and is married to Scottish tenor Gordon

Wilson, was the toast of London for her starring role as Gilda, daughter

of the vengeful jester in Verdi's Rigoletto.

But not even the prospect of rising stardom could stop her travelling

to Hamilton at the weekend.

She said: ''I had been booked to come to Hamilton for quite some time

and I have been really looking forward to it. Mozart is a favourite.