Watts, Helen (1927—)

Welsh contralto, known chiefly for oratorio and opera roles, who was also an interpreter of lieder and 20th-century songs . Born on December 7, 1927, in Milford Haven, southwest Wales; studied under Caroline Hatchard and Frederick Jackson at the Royal Academy of Music in London.

Welsh contralto Helen Watts received her vocal training as a student at the Royal Academy of Music in London, studying under noted teachers Caroline Hatchard and Frederick Jackson. She got her start in the choruses of the Glyndebourne Festival and the BBC, making her first solo appearance in 1953. Her 1955 performance of Bach arias under the baton of Sir Malcolm Sargent at the London Promenade Concerts was the springboard to a successful concert career on European and North American circuits.

In addition to her concert performances, Watts embarked on an opera career in 1958 as Didymus in Theodora with the Handel Opera Society. She was a regular performer with the society for the next six years, and then debuted at the Salzburg Festival as the First Maid in Elektra. Other notable performances included her Lucretia during a tour of Russia with the English Opera Group, her initial appearance at Covent Garden in London as the first Norn in Götterdammerung in 1965, her American debut in A Mass of Life in 1966, and her Mistress Quickly at the Welsh National Opera in 1969. With the last company, she enjoyed a long run as a leading member until her retirement in 1983. In 1978, she was made a Commander of the Order of the British Empire.

Judith C. Reveal , freelance writer, Greensboro, Maryland