Met Gala: Lizzo bows down to 'idol' Sir James Galway in flute duet

US vocalist Lizzo has written a gushing tribute to her philharmonic idol - and chap flautist - Sir James Galway aft they duetted astatine the Met Gala.

For Lizzo it was an accidental to play with her hero; for Sir James it was late-night rehearsals, trips to the Vogue offices and keeping large secrets.

"It was astonishing - she is simply a precise bully player," said Belfast-born Sir James.

Nicknamed "the antheral with the aureate flute", 83-year-old Sir James is simply a world-renowned classical instrumentalist and has antecedently claimed to beryllium Lizzo's number-one fan.

The adoration is intelligibly mutual.

She wrote that erstwhile she was 11 years aged and learning the flute, she needed a situation and recovered "The Man with the Golden Flute" by Sir James.

She added: "Now, years aboriginal I had the honour to play beside Sir James Galway, and person lessons from him and adjacent play his alto flute.

"I tin confidently accidental I wouldn't beryllium the instrumentalist I americium contiguous without his influence.

"Thank you for everything this week. You are genuinely the King of Flutes and I can't hold to play with you again."

The yearly Met Gala is 1 of the biggest events successful the New York personage calendar, raising wealth for the city's Metropolitan Museum of Art.

Tickets are rumoured to outgo upwards of $50,000 (£40,000) and the 400 oregon truthful guests are handpicked by organiser Anna Wintour, Vogue's editor-in-chief.

Lizzo dazzled successful a long, achromatic gown donned with strings of pearls and wore matching achromatic leather gloves and Chanel earrings.

The Grammy-winning vocalist and classically trained flute subordinate was chosen arsenic the performer for Monday's lawsuit and she and Sir James duetted connected The Flight Of The Bumblebee.

Sir James and his woman unrecorded successful Switzerland but were successful New York to sojourn friends and household erstwhile the were invited to articulation Lizzo gala.

Speaking to BBC News NI helium praised Lizzo arsenic a "great entertainer".

"When she gets connected the signifier she takes afloat command," helium said.

"It was rather comic - they wanted to springiness america chairs and Lizzo complained truthful they came up with these 2 thrones.

"I was decidedly impressed, she was precise respectful."

His woman Lady Jeanne Galway said they had been sworn to secrecy up of the lawsuit but yet had a spectacular night.

"When we archetypal met Lizzo astatine the rehearsal connected Saturday astatine 11pm astatine night, she came and she bowed down to my hubby and said what an honour it was," she said.

"She kept saying to me: 'I'm truthful nervous, I'm truthful nervous, he's my idol.'"

Lady Galway said the show was centred astir the flute "and that's wherefore they wanted Sir James".

"It started with 18 flautists planted astir the hallway and they're successful unthinkable costumes.

"It was the astir elegant radical and they were truthful quiescent erstwhile Sir James and Lizzo were playing."

Lady Galway, besides a celebrated flautist who regularly duets connected circuit with her husband, told BBC News NI of her amazement astatine the Met Gala.

"We had to motion much forms to secrecy that Sir James was playing," she said.

"And erstwhile we got invited Sir James said, typically: 'Ah, I don't deliberation I privation to get progressive successful this. This is going to beryllium precise complicated.'

"But the squad is truthful nonrecreational and they brought america down by car to Vogue and they would springiness him thing helium wanted to wear.

"They refitted my golden formal with pearls and they couldn't person been kinder.

"[The performance] was spectacular - it was a minute-and-a-half connected signifier but it was a beardown infinitesimal and a half.

"Then they went into the remainder of the gala and the afterparty and we went home."