Dame Felicity Joan Palmer, (born 6 April 1944), is an English

mezzo-soprano A mezzo-soprano or mezzo (; ; meaning "half soprano") is a type of classical female singing voice whose vocal range lies between the soprano and the contralto voice types. The mezzo-soprano's vocal range usually extends from the A below middle C ...

and music professor. She sang

soprano A soprano () is a type of classical female singing voice and has the highest vocal range of all voice types. The soprano's vocal range (using scientific pitch notation) is from approximately middle C (C4) = 261 Hz to "high A" (A5) = 880&n ...

roles until 1983. Palmer was born in

Cheltenham Cheltenham (), also known as Cheltenham Spa, is a spa town and borough on the edge of the Cotswolds in the county of Gloucestershire, England. Cheltenham became known as a health and holiday spa town resort, following the discovery of mineral s ...

and educated at Erith Grammar School, now named

Erith School King Henry School (formerly Erith Grammar School and later Erith School) is a large mixed bilateral secondary school and sixth form in Erith in the London Borough of Bexley for students aged 11 to 18. In October 2010, it became an Academy, an ...

. She studied at the Guildhall School of Music and Drama in London and under Marianne Schech's guidance at the

Munich College for Music and Theatre The University of Music and Performing Arts Munich (german: Hochschule für Musik und Theater München), also known as the Munich Conservatory, is a performing arts conservatory in Munich, Germany. The main building it currently occupies is ...

. In April 1970, she won first prize in the Kathleen Ferrier Memorial Scholarship. She made her operatic debut in 1971 as Dido in '' Dido and Aeneas'' with the Kent Opera. In 1973, she made her US debut with the

Houston Grand Opera Houston Grand Opera (HGO) is an American opera company located in Houston, Texas. Founded in 1955 by German-born impresario Walter Herbert and three local Houstonians,Giesberg, Robert I., Carl Cunningham, and Alan Rich. ''Houston Grand Opera at ...

and her Metropolitan Opera debut was in 2000 as Waltraute ('' Götterdämmerung''). Having made her debut with English National Opera (ENO) in 1975, her performance with the company forty years later, as the Countess in The Queen of Spades, was widely applauded and described as 'mesmerising' and 'astonishing'. Palmer has performed and recorded

Gilbert and Sullivan Gilbert and Sullivan was a Victorian era, Victorian-era theatrical partnership of the dramatist W. S. Gilbert (1836–1911) and the composer Arthur Sullivan (1842–1900), who jointly created fourteen comic operas between 1871 and 1896, of which ...

operas, as Katisha in '' The Mikado'' for the ENO and the Welsh National Opera (WNO), Dame Carruthers in '' The Yeomen of the Guard'' (WNO) and Little Buttercup in '' H.M.S. Pinafore'' (WNO). In 1998, she played Widow Begbick in the Lyric Opera of Chicago production of '' The Rise and Fall of the City of Mahagonny''. In 2003, she performed the role of Mrs Lovett in

Stephen Sondheim Stephen Joshua Sondheim (; March 22, 1930November 26, 2021) was an American composer and lyricist. One of the most important figures in twentieth-century musical theater, Sondheim is credited for having "reinvented the American musical" with sho ...

's '' Sweeney Todd'' at the Royal Opera House (the only musical the ROH has ever presented). She sang Venus in a 1983 BBC television broadcast of '' Orphée aux Enfers'' conducted by Alexander Faris. Palmer is noted for her interpretation of the role of Madame de Croissy in

Poulenc Francis Jean Marcel Poulenc (; 7 January 189930 January 1963) was a French composer and pianist. His compositions include songs, solo piano works, chamber music, choral pieces, operas, ballets, and orchestral concert music. Among the best-kno ...

's '' Dialogues of the Carmelites'', which she has sung at the Metropolitan Opera and at the Lyric Opera of Chicago's first ever production of the work. She also sang the role in English with the ENO and recorded it as part of the Chandos "Opera in English" series. Her other commercial recordings include '' Der fliegende Holländer'' and 'Love's Old Sweet Song, Victorian and Edwardian Ballads', 1978, The Decca Recording Company:1997,L.P.;Belart,C.D.,(a Polygram Company),0 28946 14902 7:( John Constable on piano). Her work in contemporary music has included the first Glyndebourne production of Péter Eötvös's opera '' Love and Other Demons'', in the role of Josefa Miranda. Palmer is a professor at the Royal College of Music in London. She was appointed Commander of the Order of the British Empire (CBE) in 1993 and

Dame Commander of the Order of the British Empire The Most Excellent Order of the British Empire is a British order of chivalry, rewarding contributions to the arts and sciences, work with charitable and welfare organisations, and public service outside the civil service. It was established o ...

(DBE) in the 2011 New Year Honours for services to music. She is a first cousin of

Barclay Palmer Barclay Palmer (born William Barclay Livingstone Palmer; 2 March 1932 – 27 September 2020) was a British athlete who competed in the shot put discipline at the 1956 Summer Olympics. He was educated at Monkton Combe School (Thy Word is ...

, Olympic athlete.

References

External links

Intermusica agency page on Felicity Palmer

19 November 1986 {{DEFAULTSORT:Palmer, Felicity Alumni of the Guildhall School of Music and Drama Academics of the Royal College of Music Dames Commander of the Order of the British Empire Singers awarded knighthoods Operatic mezzo-sopranos English operatic sopranos People from Cheltenham 1944 births Living people Musicians from Gloucestershire Women music educators