Veasey, Josephine
Veasey, Josephine
Veasey, Josephine, English mezzo-soprano and teacher; b. Peckham, July 10, 1930. She studied with Audrey Langford in London. In 1949 she joined the chorus at London’s Covent Garden; she made her Covent Garden debut as the Shepherd Boy in Tannhäuserin 1955 and later appeared there as Waltraute, Fricka, Brangäne, Berlioz’s Dido, Dorabella et al. Veasey also created the role of the Emperor in Henze’s We Come tothe Riverthere (1976). From 1957 to 1969 she appeared at the Glynebourne Festivals. On Nov. 22, 1968, she made her Metropolitan Opera debut in N.Y. as Fricka, remaining on the roster until 1969; she also made guest appearances throughout Europe and in South America and sang in concerts. In 1982 Veasey retired from the operatic stage and became active as a teacher; she taught at the Royal Academy of Music (1983-84) and was a voice consultant to the English National Opera (from 1985) in London. In 1970 Veasey was made a Commander of the Order of the British Empire.
—Nicolas Slonimsky/Laura Kuhn/Dennis McIntire