Felicity Lott was born and educated in Cheltenham and studied at the Royal Academy of Music in London.

She has built up a close relationship with the Royal Opera House, Covent Garden, where her roles have included Anne Trulove (The Rake's Progress), Blanche (Les Dialogues des Carmelites), Ellen Orford (Peter Grimes), Eva (Die Meistersinger von Nürnberg), Countess Almaviva (Le Nozze di Figaro) and the Marschallin (Der Rosenkavalier). Her many roles at the Glyndebourne Festival have included Anne Trulove, Pamina, Donna Elvira, Countess Almaviva, Oktavian, Christine (Intermezzo), Countess Madeleine (Capriccio) and the title role in Arabella. Many of these performances were recorded for television.

She has sung the title role in Louise, the Marschallin and Countess Madeleine in Brussels; Cleopatra (Giulio Cesare), Donna Elvira, Fiordiligi, Countess Madeleine and the Marschallin in Paris; Countess Almaviva and Countess Madeleine with the Chicago Lyric Opera; Countess Madeleine at the Maggio Musicale in Florence; the Marschallin in San Francisco; the Marschallin and Arabella at the Semper Oper, Dresden; with the Bavarian State Opera Munich her roles include Christine, Countess Almaviva, Countess Madeleine and the Marschallin; she made her debut at the Metropolitan Opera, New York as the Marschallin under Carlos Kleiber and her debut at La Scala, Milan as Arabella under Sawallisch. With the Vienna State Opera she has sung Arabella, Countess Madeleine and the Marschallin under Carlos Kleiber, which she repeated when the Company travelled to Japan and which has been televised and released on video.

As a concert artist, Felicity Lott sings with all the major orchestras and festivals throughout the country, and appears regularly at the BBC Promenade Concerts. She has sung with the Berlin Philharmonic, Vienna Philharmonic, the Concertgebouw and Chicago Symphony Orchestras, at the Salzburg Easter and Summer Festivals. She has given recitals all over Great Britain and has a particularly close association with Wigmore Hall. She has appeared as a recitalist in Paris, Monte Carlo, Brussels, Amsterdam, Cologne, Berlin, Frankfurt, Geneva, Lisbon, Rome, Florence, La Scala Milan, Hong Kong, New York, Sydney, at the Salzburg, Prague, Bergen and Munich Festivals, and the Konzerthaus and Musikverein in Vienna. She was a founder member of Graham Johnson's The Songmakers' Almanac.

These successes are mirrored in her wide range of major recordings under such conductors as Solti, Haitink, Janssons, Marriner, Mackerras and Jarvi and her love of the song repertoire is reflected in her extensive recordings of Wolf, Schubert, Schumann, Strauss and the masters of French mélodies.

Felicity Lott was awarded the title Chevalier dans l'Ordre des Arts et des Lettres by the French Government. She was made a CBE in the 1990 New Year Honours and in 1996 was created a Dame Commander of the British Empire.

Dame Felicity's favourite relaxation is gardening.