Death of a formative English soprano, 96

We have been informed by people who have spoken to her daughter that the wonderful English soprano April Cantelo has died in Oxfordshire at the age of 96.

A pupil of Britten’s associate Joan Cross, Cantelo sang in the Glyndebourne chorus before gaining roles at Covent Garden and Sadlers Wells. Among many premieres, she sang Jenny in the first UK staging of Kurt Weill’s Rise and Fall of the City of Mahagonny. Her voice, lyrical but never large, was admired for its beauty and precision.

In 1949, she married the rising conductor Colin Davis. They had two children and divorced in 1964.

Cantelo went on to teach three generations of British singers and was greatly loved for her gentle ways.

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