Tinsley, Pauline (1928–)

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Tinsley, Pauline (1928–)

English operatic soprano. Born Mar 23, 1928, in Wigan, England; studied with Dillon in Manchester and Joan Cross at London Opera Center, as well as with Keeler, Henderson, and Turner.

Made debut in London in Rossini's Desdemona (1951); joined Welsh National Opera and sang Elsa in Wagner's Lohengrin, Susanna in Mozart's Le nozze di Figaro, title roles in Aïda and Turandot, and Lady Macbeth in Verdi's Macbeth; joined Sadler's Wells Opera (1963), where she sang the Countess in Figaro, Fiordiligi in Cosi fan tutte, Donna Elvira in Don Giovanni, Queen Elizabeth in Donizetti's Maria Stuarda, and Leonore in Beethoven's Fidelio; toured widely, performing in Berlin, Hamburg, Amsterdam, Zurich, Verona and NY; was considered particularly memorable as Lady Billows in Britten's Albert Herring at Covent Garden (1989); other repertory roles include Queen of the Night, Anna Bolena, Leonora (in Trovatore and Forza), Brunnhilde, Zerlina, Donna Anna, Kundry, Kostelnicka and Elektra.

See also Women in World History.