Audrey Langford

{{Short description|British soprano, conductor and voice teacher}}

Audrey Langford (28 June 1912, Rochdale — 5 August 1994, Bromley) was an English soprano, conductor, and voice teacher. Musicologist Elizabeth Forbes wrote, "Audrey Langford will no doubt go down in musical history as a superb singing teacher over a period of 50 years, but she also had two other successful careers, as a soprano who sang at Covent Garden in the late 1930s and, after the war, as a conductor, most particularly of the Bromley Philharmonic Choir and the Kentish Opera Group, both of which organizations she founded."

Life and career

Born in Rochdale, Greater Manchester, Langford earned degrees in piano and voice from the Royal College of Music. She was committed to the Royal Opera House, Covent Garden under Sir Thomas Beecham where she performed mainly in comprimario roles from 1936 through 1939. Some of the roles she performed at that opera house included Madeleine in Louise (1936)Wearing, pg. 526 a Flower Maiden in Parsifal (1936, 1937, and 1939),Wearing, pg. 517, 596, and 746 and the Dew Fairy in Hansel and Gretel (1937).Wearing, pg. 574

After opera ceased at that theatre with the outbreak of World War II, Langford spent the war years performing as a member of the Entertainments National Service Association. A perforated ear drum ended her performance career shortly after the end of war, and she then began a long distinguished career as a voice teacher which lasted more than five decades. In addition to teaching privately out of the Cantica Voice Studio in Bromley, Langford was a member of the voice faculty at the Royal Northern College of Music and taught masterclasses internationally.

Langford also had a career as a professional conductor. She notably founded and directed both the Bromley Philharmonic Choir and the Kentish Opera Group.{{cite news|title=Obituary: Audrey Langford|author=Elizabeth Forbes|date=30 August 1994|work=The Independent|url=https://www.independent.co.uk/news/people/obituary-audrey-langford-1386803.html}} With the latter organization she conducted the United Kingdom premieres of two operas by Gian Carlo Menotti: The Old Maid and the Thief on July 14, 1960, and The Saint of Bleecker Street on July 27, 1962.{{cite book|page=354, 430|title=Operas in English: A Dictionary|author=Margaret Ross Griffel|year=2013|isbn=9780810883253|publisher=Scarecrow Press}} In 1974 she conducted the Bromley Philharmonic Choir and Handel Chamber Orchestra at Queen Elizabeth Hall for a recording of Jules Massenet's Marie-Magdeleine.{{cite book|page=136|title=More EJS: Discography of the Edward J. Smith Recordings; "Unique Opera Records Corporation" (1972-1977), "A.N.N.A. Record Company" (1978-1982), "special-label" Issues (circa 1954-1981), and Addendum to "The Golden Age of Opera" Series|author=William Shaman, Edward Joseph Smith, William J. Collins, Calvin M. Goodwin|year=1999|isbn=9780313298356|publisher=Greenwood Press}} She was also David Parry's first conducting teacher.Michael Oliver, "The pure and lyrical", Gramophone (London), November 2000

Langford was also a guest conductor with the Scottish Opera; conducting performances of Handel's Partenope (1964) and Bastien und Bastienne (1966).{{cite web|url=http://operascotland.org/person/3763/Audrey+Langford|title=Audrey Langford|work=Opera Scotland|accessdate=October 1, 2022}}

Personal life and death

Langford's first husband was violist Frederick Riddle. In 1949 she married bass-baritone Andrew Field. Her daughters are mezzo-soprano Sally Langford-Broadley (also known professionally as Elizabeth Langford) and Anne Langford. She died in Bromley on 5 August 1994.

Pupils

The following singers studied voice with Langford:

Helen Adams{{cite book|chapter=Adams, Helen |page=14-15|author1-last=Kutsch |author1-first=Karl-Josef |author2-last=Riemens |author2-first=Leo |editor-last=Rost |editor-first=Hansjörg |title=Großes Sängerlexikon, Volume 4 |edition=4th |publisher=Walter de Gruyter |year=2012 |orig-date=2003 |language=German |isbn=9783598440885}}
Richard Warner Best
Susan Bickley{{cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=JrV0DwAAQBAJ&dq=%22Audrey+Langford%22&pg=PT37|title=Opera Lives|author=Linda Kitchen|year= 2018|page=50|publisher=Spiramus Press|isbn=978-1-910151-56-3}}
Jeffrey Black{{cite book|chapter=Black, Jeffrey |page=433-434|author1-last=Kutsch |author1-first=Karl-Josef |author2-last=Riemens |author2-first=Leo |editor-last=Rost |editor-first=Hansjörg |title=Großes Sängerlexikon, Volume 4 |edition=4th |publisher=Walter de Gruyter |year=2012 |orig-date=2003 |language=German |isbn=9783598440885}}
Christine Bunning
Meribeth (Bunch) Dayme{{cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=wN69BwAAQBAJ&dq=%22Audrey+Langford%22&pg=PP5|title=Dynamics of the Singing Voice|author= Meribeth Bunch, R.E.M. Bowden|year=2013|page=VI|publisher=Springer Vienna|isbn=9783709120651}}
Elisabeth Erikson{{cite book|chapter=Erikson, Elisabeth|page=1348|author1-last=Kutsch |author1-first=Karl-Josef |author2-last=Riemens |author2-first=Leo |editor-last=Rost |editor-first=Hansjörg |title=Großes Sängerlexikon, Volume 4 |edition=4th |publisher=Walter de Gruyter |year=2012 |orig-date=2003 |language=German |isbn=9783598440885}}
Helen Gasztowt-Adams{{cite book|chapter-url=https://books.google.com/books?id=ez1JfIVM4ykC&dq=%22Audrey+Langford%22&pg=PA463|chapter=Gasztowt-Adams, Helen (Catriona)|title=International Who's Who in Music|page=222|author=David M. Cummings|year= 2000|publisher=International Biographical Centre|isbn=9780948875533 }}
Sheri Greenawald{{Cite encyclopedia |authorlink=Michael Walsh (author)|last=Walsh|first=Michael |date=2002 |title=Greenawald, Sheri (Kay) |encyclopedia=Grove Music Online |publisher=Oxford Music Online. Oxford University Press |doi=10.1093/gmo/9781561592630.article.O007161}}
Hugh Hetherington{{cite book|chapter=Hetherington, Hugh|title=International Who's Who in Music|page=281|author=David M. Cummings|year= 2000|publisher=International Biographical Centre}}
Martyn Hill{{Cite encyclopedia |authorlink=Alan Blyth|last=Blyth |first=Alan |date=2001 |title=Hill, Martyn|encyclopedia=Grove Music Online |publisher=Oxford Music Online. Oxford University Press |doi=10.1093/gmo/9781561592630.article.44521}}
Ann Hood
Richard Jackson
Janis Kelly
Dorothy Maddison
Maureen Morelle
Arwel Huw Morgan{{cite book|chapter=Morgan, Arwel Huw|page=3218|author1-last=Kutsch |author1-first=Karl-Josef |author2-last=Riemens |author2-first=Leo |editor-last=Rost |editor-first=Hansjörg |title=Großes Sängerlexikon, Volume 4 |edition=4th |publisher=Walter de Gruyter |year=2012 |orig-date=2003 |language=German |isbn=9783598440885}}
Josephine Nendick{{cite book|chapter-url=https://books.google.com/books?id=ez1JfIVM4ykC&dq=%22Audrey+Langford%22&pg=PA463|chapter=Nendick, Josephine|title=International Who's Who in Music|page=463|author=David M. Cummings|year= 2000|publisher=International Biographical Centre|isbn=9780948875533 }}
Joan Rodgers{{cite book|chapter-url=https://books.google.com/books?id=ClWcAQAAQBAJ&dq=%22Audrey+Langford%22&pg=PA331|title=A Dictionary of Opera Characters|author=Joyce Bourne, Joyce Bourne Kennedy|year=2008|page=330-331|chapter=Rodgers, Joan|isbn=9780199550395|publisher=Oxford University Press}}
Ghillian Sullivan{{cite book|chapter=Sullivan, Ghillian|title=International Who's Who in Music|page=623|author=David M. Cummings|year= 2000|publisher=International Biographical Centre}}
Torhild Staahlen{{cite book|chapter=Staahlen, Torhild |page=4494|author1-last=Kutsch |author1-first=Karl-Josef |author2-last=Riemens |author2-first=Leo |editor-last=Rost |editor-first=Hansjörg |title=Großes Sängerlexikon, Volume 4 |edition=4th |publisher=Walter de Gruyter |year=2012 |orig-date=2003 |language=German |isbn=9783598440885}}
Josephine Veasey
David Wakeman
Jon WeavingRich, Maria F. (ed.), [https://books.google.com/books?id=mLpFAAAAIAAJ excerpt from "Weaving, John"], Who's Who in Opera: An International Biographical Directory of Singers..., Arno Press, 1976, p. 585. {{ISBN|0-405-06652-X}}

References

Bibliography

{{cite book|title=The London Stage 1930-1939: A Calendar of Productions, Performers, and Personnel|author=J. P. Wearing|year=2014|publisher=Rowman & Littlefield|isbn=9780810893047}}

Category:1912 births

Category:1994 deaths

Category:Academics of the Royal Northern College of Music

Category:Alumni of the Royal College of Music

Category:English operatic sopranos

Category:Voice teachers

Category:British women conductors (music)