Since entering the Royal Scottish Academy of Music and Drama in 1971 Isobel Buchanan has become one of the leading sopranos of her generation. In 1975 she auditioned for Richard Bonynge and Joan Sutherland and was offered a three year contract with the Australian Opera.

Her professional debut was in January 1976, singing the role of Pamina in Mozart's The Magic Flute, one she was to repeat many times throughout the world. She made her British debut at Glyndebourne in 1978, again singing Pamina, in the Cox/Hockney production and in 1981 she sang The Countess in Peter Hall's production of The Marriage of Figaro, a role repeated for the 50th Anniversary of the company in 1984. 1978 saw her as Micaela at the Vienna State Opera in the legendary production by Franco Zefirelli, with Domingo, Obratsova and Mazurok. Conducted by Carlos Kleiber, the performance was broadcast live throughout Europe and has recently been released on CD and DVD.

Isobel's Covent Garden debut was in Parsifal, conducted by Solti. Among other roles, she went to sing Sophie in Werther, with Alfredo Kraus and Teresa Berganza, later recording the opera with Jose Carreras and Frederica von Stade, Sir Colin Davis conducting. She has appeared in opera houses in Cologne, Paris, Munich, Chicago (with Pavarotti and Bergonzi) and Monte Carlo (with Raimondi). She has also appeared with all the major British orchestras and has collaborated with many of the world's leading conductors, including Solti, Haitink, Andrew Davis, Colin Davis, Celibidache, Pritchard, Marriner, Kleiber and Menuhin.

Isobel has made numerous recordings and in 1981 the BBC made a documentary of her career up to that time. She has had her own television series and has also appeared on such programmes as Face the Music and The Michael Parkinson Show. After taking time out of her career to bring up her two daughters, Isobel has recently resumed her career singing recitals with Eugene Asti and Malcolm Martineau at St John's, Smith Square, as well as performing Sheherezade with the South Bank Sinfonia and, most recently, Haydn with the Orchestra of the Age of Enlightenment.