Dame Genevieve Ward DBE (27 March 1837–18 August 1922), born Lucy Genevieve Teresa Ward, was an American-born British soprano and actress.
She was created a Dame Commander of the Order of the British Empire (DBE) in 1921.
Genevieve Ward was born in the city of New York, the daughter of Samuel Ward and the grand-daughter of Gideon Lee, formerly Mayor of that city. At the age of three she accompanied her parents to Europe. She began to display a preference for the arts, and devoted herself by turns to the study of painting, sculpture, and music. By degrees, music absorbed her entirely, and her proficiency on the piano attracted attention. After a few years' stay in Europe, the family returned to New York, and soon afterward made the acquaintance of Henriette Sontag.[1]
Sontag encouraged Genevieve to study singing formally and when the family returned to Europe, she gave her a letter of introduction to Rossini.