English singer to take on Brünnhilde in Wagner's Ring Cycle The festival, created by the composer and dedicated to his work since it opened in 1876, is a place of pilgrimage for Wagner fans with a wait for tickets which can last a decade. Brünnhilde is the leading role in the 15-hour opera cycle regarded as Wagner's masterpiece. Performing the role at Bayreuth is an honour; the Wagner festival is a highlight of the classical music calendar. Catherine Foster, who trained as a nurse and midwife before switching careers to music, admitted in an interview that until recently she had never liked Wagner because she thought his operas were "too long." Ms Foster told the German broadcaster Deutsche Welle: "For a singer Bayreuth is a goal that you think you'll never reach. Wagner in Wagner's theatre - what could be better? When I got the news, I thought 'oh God, now I have to learn German properly'. In the interview she admitted that she had thought Wagner's operas were too long, until she was cast in the part of Elizabeth in the German composer's opera Tannhäuser, while she was performing at the German National Theatre in Weimar between 2001 and 2011. Before that I had sung Mozart... then to sing Wagner, was like plunging in at the deep end. Ms Foster said she drew on her work as a nurse in her performances. "I have no acting training," she told the broadcaster. I worked for almost 15 years in a hospital and had many experiences with young and old people, with children, rich and poor, happy and sad people. This is the experience I bring to the stage. The Bayreuth festival opens on Thursday with a performance of The Flying Dutchman. The Ring begins the next day. German chancellor Angela Merkel is expected to attend the opening. Ms Foster is not the first British singer to appear at Bayreuth as Brünnhilde, a Valkyrie and daughter of Wotan, the king of the gods. Two Welsh singers have performed in the role before. She will play the part at Bayreuth after the German soprano Angela Denoke withdrew.