WHILE the world was being swept up in the global phenomenon that was Riverdance, one woman, born and brought up in Fladbury, remained blissfully unaware of its existence.

Classically trained musician Lucy Champion was working for the Ulster Orchestra in Belfast and had never heard of Anuna - the original voices behind the hit-show - until she was asked to commission a song that a choir could sing with the orchestra.

But 10 years later, and the former St Mary's Convent School pupil knows everything there is to know about the 14-strong group as, not only is she part of it, she is married to its founder, Michael McGlynn.

Michael founded Anuna in 1987, before being joined by his identical twin brother John in 1991 - together they went on to redefine Irish choral music.

The group first shot to fame after their short choral piece Cloudsong which became the opening of the now historic Riverdance interval piece for the 1994 Eurovision Song Contest.

In early 1995 this seven-minute filler became a full-scale show, a Grammy-award winning album and a global phenomenon.

The subsequent single spent 18 months at number one in the Irish charts and reached the top 10 in the UK charts.

But all this passed Lucy by.

"When I first spoke to Michael about commissioning a piece he kept talking about his group Anuna that was in the show - I must have been the only person who hadn't heard of it," she told the Evening News.

"But I've been lucky enough to experience the legacy of it."

Since leaving Riverdance in 1996, Anuna has released nine albums - the most recent being Essential Anuna which has been nominated for a Classical Brit Award - performed all over the world and also recorded with artists as diverse as Barry Manilow, Secret Garden, Elvis Costello, Michael Crawford and Sinead O'Connor.

But the bizarre fact about the group is that many of the members are not even trained singers.

"At the moment, five of our singers are student doctors, one works for a bank and one is a financial adviser," Lucy said.

"But the whole point about Anuna is that the voices form a single instrument - it is the blend as one single voice which makes it unique.

"Michael listens to a voice and the sound it can make and he sees the potential in that."

Audiences will be able to hear the haunting sounds of Anuna when the group appears at Malvern Theatres on Saturday, February 5 - and they are in for a treat, according to Lucy.

"It's not a concert, it's an experience," she said.

"The music Michael writes is spiritual and looks back into the forgotten music and texts from mediaeval and contemporary music and Celtic lands.

"The live performance is incredible - there are candles, we are dressed in cloaks - it's professional stuff."

And just to make sure the audience don't get lost, Michael and his twin brother are on hand in between each piece to explain his music and ensure it is accessible for everyone.

"They have an interesting interaction," Lucy said.

"It can be quite shocking for audiences - but I'll leave that for them to discover."

Tickets for the performance - frequently described as ethereal and intoxicating - cost £14.50 to £16.50 and are available from the box office on 01684 892277.