Ellen Winther Lembourn (née Sørensen; 11 August 1933, Århus – 13 August 2011) was a Danish opera singer, best known internationally for her participation in the 1962

Eurovision Song Contest The Eurovision Song Contest (), sometimes abbreviated to ESC and often known simply as Eurovision, is an international songwriting competition organised annually by the European Broadcasting Union (EBU), featuring participants representing pr ...

. Winther trained as an opera singer and made her professional debut in 1957 at the Royal Danish Theatre, where she would be employed for 30 years both as a singer and a dramatic actress. In the 1959 Disney animated classic '' Sleeping Beauty'' she voiced the Danish version of Aurora. In 1962, Winther won the Danish Eurovision Song Contest selection with the song " Vuggevise" ("Lullaby"), and went forward to the seventh

, held in Luxembourg City on 18 March. "Vuggevise" finished in joint 10th place out of 16 entries. Besides her succes in operas, stage musicals and revues, Winther also became well known to Danish audiences by many appearances in film and television. This included her portrayal of Minna Varnæs in '' Matador'' in 1978. In 1983, she was awarded the

Order of the Dannebrog The Order of the Dannebrog ( da, Dannebrogordenen) is a Danish order of chivalry instituted in 1671 by Christian V. Until 1808, membership in the order was limited to fifty members of noble or royal rank, who formed a single class known a ...

for her contribution to the arts in Denmark..

Marriages

Winther was married to pianist John Winther from 1960-66, with two children from this marriage, and to writer and politician Hans Jørgen Lembourn from 1973 until his death in 1997.

Death

Ellen Winther Lembourn died on 13 August 2011, two days after her 78th birthday.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Winther, Ellen 1933 births 2011 deaths Eurovision Song Contest entrants for Denmark Danish women singers Danish opera singers Eurovision Song Contest entrants of 1962 Singers from Aarhus