Lawton, Jeffrey

Lawton, Jeffrey, English tenor; b. Oldham, 1939. He studied with Elsie Thurston at the Royal Manchester Coll. of Music (1954–58) and with Patrick McGuigan. In 1974 he sang Don Alvaro with the Manchester Opera Co. His professional operatic debut followed in 1981 as Florestan with the Welsh National Opera in Cardiff, where he sang Siegfried in its Ring cycle in 1985. His other roles there included those by Berlioz, Strauss, and Janáček. In 1986 he made his first appearance at London’s Covent Garden as Siegfried, and returned there as Tristan in 1993. Following engagements in Paris and Brussels as Otello in 1987, he sang Siegmund in Cologne in 1988, returning there as Siegfried in 1989. In the latter year, he portrayed Edmund in Reimann’s Lear at the English National Opera in London. He sang Shuisky in Boris Godunov at Opera North in Leeds and Strauss’s Herod at the London Promenade Concerts in 1993. In 1996 he created the role of Pedro in the premiere of MacMillan’s Ines de Castro in Edinburgh. He also sang widely as a concert artist in Europe.

—Nicolas Slonimsky/Laura Kuhn/Dennis McIntire

Lawton, Jeffrey (b Oldham, 1939). Eng. tenor. Began amateur career with Manchester Opera Co. Sang Otello with the co. in 1975. Prof. début 1981 with WNO (Florestan in Fidelio). Sang Siegfried in WNO Ring cycle 1985 (CG 1986) and Tristan 1993 (also CG). Paris and Brussels 1987. Opera North début 1988. Cologne 1988 and 1989.