Opera Scotland

Elizabeth Fretwell Suggest updates

Born Melbourne, 13 August 1920.
Died Sydney, 5 June 2006.

Australian soprano.

Elizabeth Fretwell reached the final of the Sun Aria competition in 1947 and studied opera at the Melbourne National Theatre Movement.  She then joined the Australian National Opera.  After coming to Britain in 1954 she studied with Joseph Hislop.

After singing Aïda and Musetta with the Dublin Grand Opera,  she was engaged as leading soprano at Sadler’s Wells from 1955.  One of her early solo roles was First Lady in a Magic Flute conducted by Alexander Gibson.  She remained with SWO for over ten years, singing most of the lyric repertoire including Beethoven (Leonore);  Wagner (Senta);  Verdi (Violetta,  Leonora,  Amelia);  Puccini (Musetta,  Tosca,  Minnie,  Angelica);  Strauss (Ariadne) and Britten ( Ellen Orford,  Gloriana).  Her interpretation of Violetta seems to have been especially impressive.  She was a leading member of Sadler’s Wells when they toured to Munich in 1963 – singing Ellen in the first local performance of Peter Grimes.  She created the part of Blanche in The Moon and Sixpence (Gardner 1957).

At Covent Garden her only major roles were Aïda and Giorgetta,  though she also sang Third Norn in the 1967 Ring.  With Scottish Opera she sang Donna Anna (1964),  Sieglinde (1966) and  Freia (1967).

She returned to finish her career in Australia from 1970 with roles such as Leonore,   Leonora di Vargas,  Aïda,  Giorgetta and  Tosca, and sang in the opening season of the Sydney Opera House in 1973.