Born 1894.
Died 1940.
English contralto.
Constance Willis was one of the leading British mezzos of the inter-war period, singing with Carl Rosa, BNOC, Sadler's Wells and Covent Garden, as well as the first Glyndebourne Festivals.
In opera, she was particularly noted for her interpretations of parts by Wagner (Ortrud, Brangäne, Magdalene, Erda, Fricka, First Norn, Waltraute), Verdi (Maddalena, Azucena, Amneris, Emilia, Meg Page, Quickly), Saint-Saëns (Dalila) and perhaps most highly regarded of all - Bizet (Carmen). Her repertoire included several ''trouser'' roles - Mozart (Cherubino), Wallace (Lazarillo), Thomas (Frederic), Offenbach (Nicklausse).
She kept up a repertoire of character roles. including Gay (Mrs Peachum), Mozart (Marcellina), Gounod (Marthe), Humperdinck (Witch), Puccini (Suzuki, Zita).
She also worked as a straight actress, including several performances of Shakespeare.
She created Aunt Jane in Hugh the Drover (Vaughan Williams 1924) and Doll Tearsheet At the Boar's Head (Holst 1925).
At the opening season of the Glyndebourne Festival in 1934 she sang Marcellina in Le nozze di Figaro. This was repeated (and recorded) the following year.
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