Mildmay, (Grace) Audrey (Louise St. John)
Mildmay, (Grace) Audrey (Louise St. John)
Mildmay, (Grace) Audrey (Louise St. John), English soprano; b. Herstmonceux, Dec. 19, 1900; d. London, May 31, 1953. She studied in London with Johnstone Douglas and in Vienna with Jani Strasser. In 1927–28 she toured North America as Polly Peachum in The Begggar’s Opera, and then returned to England as a member of the Carlo Rosa Opera Co. (1928–31). In 1931 she married John Christie, with whom she helped to found the Glyndebourne Festival in 1934. She sang there from 1934 to 1936 and again in 1938–39. In 1939 she appeared at the Sadler’s Wells Theatre in London. She retired from the operatic stage in 1943. Mildmay was co-founder of the Edinburgh Festival with Rudolf Bing in 1947. Her finest roles were Susanna, Zerlina, and Norina.
—Nicolas Slonimsky/Laura Kuhn/Dennis McIntire