Opera Scotland

Ann Howard Suggest updates

Ann Pauline Giles (née Swadling).

Born Norwood, London, 22 July 1936.

Died 26 March 2014.

English mezzo-soprano.

Ann Howard had a long career as a versatile mezzo-soprano with a repertoire ranging from Wagner to West End musicals.  She enjoyed particular success as Carmen with ENO and abroad, giving 259 performances of the role between 1970 and 1984.

After several years of retail work, she studied privately in London with Topliss Green (1956-62) and Rodolpha Lhombino (1962-3).  She worked in touring theatre and pantomime before a period of study in Paris with Dominique Modesti on a grant from Covent Garden.  On her return, she joined the Covent Garden chorus, before moving to Sadler's Wells as a principal.  She was based there throughout her career, from her 1964 debut as Czipra (The Gipsy Baron), singing a wide range of music from Wagner (Fricks, Ortrud) to musicals (Lilli Vanessi in Kiss Me Kate) ans well as new works.  She performed with most of the major British companies.  Her international career took her to France,  Belgium,  Italy,  Canada,  Mexico and Chile, as well as frequent visits to the United States.

Perhaps her most highly regarded role was Carmen, which she sang opposite Domingo in New Orleans and New York.  Her French repertoire also included Delilah and Cassandra.  At Sadler's Wells she sang operetta roles such as Czipra The Gipsy Baron,  Boulotte Bluebeard and the title-role in La belle Hélène in addition to  Queen of the Fairies Iolanthe and  Katisha The Mikado.  She sang several Wagner roles including appearances in the famous Reginald Goodall Ring cycle as Fricka.  She also appeared as the Witch Hansel and Gretel,  Ježibaba Rusalka,  the Secretary The Consul,  Azucena,  the Grandmother in The Gambler, and Mescalina Le Grand Macabre.  At Covent Garden she sang Amneris.

Howard appeared in the premières of The Mines of Sulphur (Bennett 1965) at Sadler's Wells and The Plumber's Gift (Blake 1989) at the Coliseum, as well as creating Mrs Danvers in Rebecca (Josephs 1983) for Opera North.

At Santa Fe she created Caliban in The Tempest (John Eaton 1989).

Howard toured to Scotland frequently with the Sadler's Wells company and first appeared with Scottish Opera doubling as Fricka and Waltraute in the 1966 staging of Die Walküre.

She continued to appear regularly with the company in a range of roles from Cavalli to Bernstein, appearing as the Old Lady in Candide in 1988.