A Career
Timeline
1925
Born Broadstairs, Kent, 13 March
1941
Enters Royal Academy of Music, piano then voice.
1945
Singing in Lincolns Inn Chapel. Hears Peter Grimes.
1946
1st solo professional engagements.
1947
Joins Glyndebourne Chorus (as mezzo, moving up to 2nd soprano)
1948
Joins English Opera Group: Beggar’s Opera (Jenny Diver) & Albert Herring (Nancy).
Tours Cambridge, Holland, Belgium, Cheltenham, Sadlers Wells, Birmingham
1949
EOG: Rape of Lucretia (Female Chorus).
Tours Aldeburgh, Cheltenham, Copenhagen, Oslo
1950
1st Prom: Dyson Wife of Bath aria.
Broadcast: Milhaud Le Pauvre Matelot.
TV opera: Puccini Il Tabarro.
1951
Geneva International Concours, joint 1st Prize.
EOG premiere: Easdale The Sleeping Children, Cheltenham.
Broadcast: Britten The Rescue
1952
Sadlers Wells: Don Giovanni (Donna Anna) & Seraglio (Konstanze)
1953
Sadlers Wells: Don Giovanni (Donna Anna) & Seraglio (Konstanze)
1954
Fenice, Venice: Turn of the Screw (Governess) – world premiere.
Later, Sadlers Wells
1955
Records Screw.
Festival Hall: Bliss The Olympians (Madeleine, in concert).
Records Semele.
Records Little Sweep (Rowan).
Screw tours Munich, Florence, Holland, London, Cambridge.
Sadlers Wells: Cosi (Fiordiligi)
1956
Tours Holland.
Tours Soviet Union: 3-week delegation under Arthur Bliss.
Screw tours Paris, London.
RFH: Lohengrin, Act III (in concert)
1957
Samson, Concertgebouw. Entfuhrung, Germany.
Screw tours Canada, Berlin.
Broadcast: Bizet Djamileh
1958
South Africa, Rhodesia concert tour.
Aldeburgh: Poulenc Mamelles de Tiresias – UK premiere.
UN Day broadcast.
Geneva: Beethoven 9th/Ansermet.
Covent Garden: Handel Samson
1959
Broadcast: Handel Lucretia.
Copenhagen: Handel L’Allegro.
TV broadcast: Halahan Spur of the Moment.
Recording: Messiah/Beecham.
Ghent: Judas Maccabeus. Berlin: Messiah with Berlin Philharmonic.
Antwerp: Messiah.
TV broadcast: Screw.
1960
TV broadcast Utrecht: Messiah.
Aldeburgh: Midsummer Night’s Dream – world premiere & tour to Holland.
Sadlers Wells: Handel Radamisto – 1st staging in modern times.
Cambridge: Britten Cantata Academica – UK premiere
1961
Recording: Cantata Academica.
Concertgebouw: Mahler 4.
Sadlers Wells: Handel Rinaldo, touring to Berlin, Halle, Leipzig.
Aldeburgh: Screw. Hereford: Fricker Vision of Judgement. Festival Hall: Beethoven 9/Krips.
1962
Leverkusen: Matthew Passion.
Vienna: Saul.
Coventry: Bliss The Beatitudes – world premiere.
Aldeburgh & Sadlers Wells: Albert Herring (Miss Wordsworth).
Sadlers Wells: Radamisto.
Screw tours Edinburgh, Manchester, Leeds, Sadlers Wells.
1963
Newcastle & RFH: Hoffnung concerts.
Birmingham: War Requiem.
New York: Spring Symphony under Bernstein.
Bethlehem USA: B Minor Mass. Cardiff & Bergen: Les Illuminations.
Brussels & Ghent: Spring Symphony.
Festival Hall: Gloriana – Britten’s 50th birthday concert
1964
Berlin: Jephtha, with Berlin Philharmonic & Kubelik.
Edinburgh: Don Giovanni. Aldeburgh: Orfeo.
Oxford: Athalia.
1965
Manchester: Child of Our Time.
Antwerp: War Requiem.
Cologne: Matthew Passion/Gunter Wand.
Festival Hall: War Requiem.
Sadlers Wells: Rinaldo.
1966
Goteborg: Les Illuminations.
US/Canada tour.
Sadlers Wells: Gloriana.
Sadlers Wells: Williamson Violins of Saint-Jacques – world premiere
1967
Copenhagen: Jephtha.
QEH: Semele. Leeds: Crosse Changes.
Coventry: War Requiem.
Aldeburgh: Fairy Queen – first performance, Britten’s concert realisation.
Bruges: Judas Maccabeus.
Bergen: Our Hunting Fathers.
Holland tour: Les Illuminations.
Glasgow & Sadlers Wells: Violins of St Jacques.
1968
New York: St John Passion.
Hungary & Czechoslovakia: Les Illuminations/Giulini.
Dynevor Castle, Wales: Williamson The Growing Castle – world premiere.
Manchester & London Coliseum: Violins of St-Jacques.
1969
Sadlers Wells: Growing Castle.
Rotterdam: Strauss Four Last Songs.
Coliseum: Gloriana.
Fairy Queen tours Amsterdam, Aldeburgh, Harrogate, Brussels, Lucerne.
Guildford: Williamson English Eccentrics – world premiere.
Sadlers Wells: Midsummer Night’s Dream.
Coliseum: Williamson Lucky Peter’s Journey – world premiere
1970
Coliseum: Violins of Saint-Jacques.
Albert Herring (Lady Billows) tours Chester, Guildford, Nottingham, Sheffield, Exeter, Canterbury.
Midsummer Night’s Dream tours Brussels, Ghent, Aldeburgh.
QEH: Fairy Queen.
1971
Amsterdam: Fairy Queen.
TV broadcast & world premiere: Owen Wingrave.
Birmingham: Spring Symphony.
San Francisco, Aldeburgh, Sadlers Wells: Midsummer Night’s Dream
1972
Tours Canada & US.
Coliseum: Gloriana.
Aldeburgh: Midsummer Night’s Dream & Schumann: Scenes from Faust.
Belgrade: War Requiem.
Broadcast: Athalia.
1973
Broadcast: Schubert Lazarus.
Tours Norway, Holland.
Hereford: Bizet Te Deum – UK premiere.
Albert Hall: Gloriana, in concert.
Sadlers Wells: Handel Atalanta.
1974
Croydon: War Requiem.
Broadcast: French songs.
Dies Hampstead, London, 5 April
