Vyvyan, Jennifer (Brigit)

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Vyvyan, Jennifer (Brigit)

Vyvyan, Jennifer (Brigit), English soprano; b. Broadstairs, Kent, March 13, 1925; d. London, April 5, 1974. She studied piano and voice at the Royal Academy of Music in London (1941-43) then voice with Roy Henderson. She made her operatic debut as Jenny Diver in The Beggar’s Operawith the English Opera Group (1947). After further vocal training with Fernando Carpi in Switzerland (1950), she won 1stprize in the Geneva international competition (1951). Vyvyan gained success with her portrayal of Constanze at London’s Sadler’s Wells Opera Co. (1952) then created the role of Penelope Rich in Britten’s Glorianaat London’s Covent Garden (1953). She made guest appearances at the Glynde-bourne Festivals and in Milan, Rome, Vienna, and Paris. She appeared in many contemporary operas and was closely associated with those of Britten; she created the Governess in his Turn of the Screw (1954), Tytania in A Midsummer Night’s Dream (1960), and Miss Julian in Owen Wingrave (1971).

—Nicolas Slonimsky/Laura Kuhn/Dennis McIntire

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