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I<\/span>t\u2019s the height of the August heatwave when I sit down opposite British soprano Louise Alder in a fiercely air-conditioned central London office. We\u2019re here to discuss her headline performance at this year\u2019s Last Night of the Proms but, as a seasonal warmup, I ask whether she\u2019s had a break this summer. Alder looks faintly amused, then reminds me she\u2019s been at Glyndebourne doing three performances of Mozart\u2019s Marriage of Figaro<\/a> every week since the end of June. In fact, she was on stage as the Countess barely 12 hours earlier.<\/p>\n \u201cIt\u2019s never-ending,\u201d she says. \u201cI don\u2019t want this to come across negatively \u2013 it\u2019s been the most amazing contract \u2013 but an extremely long run. Twenty shows, which I think is the longest single run that Glyndebourne has done.\u201d Days after the show closed, the company performed it again at the Proms<\/a>. \u201cAnd then a week and a half later, I come back for the Last Night.\u201d<\/p>\n Alder will be the first British singer in more than a decade to top the billing at the Last Night of the Proms. She steps into the UK\u2019s highest-profile classical spotlight in the wake of international stars including Angel Blue<\/a>, Lise Davidsen<\/a>, Juan Diego Fl\u00f3rez<\/a> and Jonas Kaufmann<\/a>. It was, she giggles, \u201cvery surreal\u201d to be invited.<\/p>\n Given that when we speak she has more Glyndebourne performances and another Proms<\/a> appearance first, is the Last Night taking up much brain-space yet? \u201cA lot. Yeah. The outfits!\u201d she laughs, before another careful shift back to business. \u201cAnd the repertoire and preparing and feeling that I\u2019ve got everything in place to be as calm as possible.\u201d<\/p>\n