Joan Sutherland

Joan Sutherland was an Australian opera singer who was considered the leading coloratura soprano of the 20th century. She had a voice that combined agility, accurate intonation, pinpoint staccatos, a trill and a strong upper register. She was known for her roles in operas by Bellini, Donizetti, Handel, and Offenbach, as well as for her interpretation of the title role in Lucia di Lammermoor. She was also a pioneer of the bel canto revival in the 1950s and 1960s. She was born in Sydney to a musical family and began singing at an early age. She won a talent contest in 1949 that gave her a ticket to London and a record audition. She studied at the Royal College of Music and made her debut at the Royal Opera House Covent Garden in 1952 as the First Lady in The Magic Flute. She also sang in Gloriana by Benjamin Britten and The Midsummer Marriage by Michael Tippett. In 1954, she married Richard Bonynge, a pianist and conductor who became her coach and mentor. He encouraged her to develop her coloratura technique and repertoire. In 1959, she achieved international fame with her performance as Lucia di Lammermoor at the Royal Opera House, which was recorded by Decca Records. She then embarked on a successful career that took her to the major opera houses of Europe and America. She sang with many famous singers such as Luciano Pavarotti, Marilyn Horne, Plácido Domingo, and Montserrat Caballé. She also created new roles in operas by Richard Rodney Bennett and Richard Meale. She received many honors and awards for her achievements, including a Grammy award in 1962, several American Music Awards, a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame, and the Order of Merit from Queen Elizabeth II. She was also made a Dame Commander of the Order of the British Empire in 1979 and a Companion of the Order of Australia in 1975. She was nicknamed La Stupenda (the stunning one) by the Italian press after her performance in Alcina by Handel in Venice in 1960. She retired from the stage in 1990 with a farewell performance at Covent Garden. She continued to make occasional appearances as a recitalist and teacher until 2008. She died in 2010 at the age of 83 from cardiac arrest at her home in Switzerland.