Lynne Dawson (born 3 June 1956, York) is an English soprano. She came to great prominence through her performance as a soloist in Libera me from Verdi’s Requiem with the BBC Singers at Princess Diana’s funeral in September 1997. Lynne Dawson has recorded over seventy-five CDs and has a varied concert and operatic repertoire.[1]
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Growing up in Yorkshire, Dawson fully expected to continue the farming tradition of her family, and indeed singing was not her first career; she first worked in industry as a translator.[2] However, later she studied at both the Guildhall School of Music and Britten-Pears School in Suffolk, where her teachers included Rae Woodland, Gerald Moore and Peter Pears.[3] Her time as a music student, however, was limited as she soon obtained enough professional work to embark upon a career and made her operatic debut in 1986 as the Countess in Le Nozze di Figaro (Kent Opera).[4] Dawson’s position as one of England’s most versatile and popular sopranos was confirmed by her performance as a soloist in Libera me from Verdi’s Requiem with the BBC Singers at the funeral of Diana, Princess of Wales in September 1997. She still continues a busy musical schedule, is head of vocal and opera studies at the Royal Northern College of Music as well as the University of York and is a Professor of Leeds College of Music.[1]
Dawson has had an extensive and varied music career. Much of her early work was in early music groups, in particular the Hilliard Ensemble and the Deller Consort[5] and her work in early music, in particular the works of George Frederick Handel, are regarded as being notable contributions to the field.[6] However, in spite of her reputation as a Handel specialist, her repertoire is far more varied - she created the role of 'Mama' in Elliot Carter's opera What Next? and played Ann Truelove in The Rake's Progress, for instance.[7] Her concert repertoire, oratorio roles and recording catalogue are no less impressive having appeared alongside acclaimed singers and conductors alike. She has released three highly acclaimed solo recital discs - My Personal Handel Collection, On This Island and Voyage à Paris.