Norma Burrowes (born on April 24, 1944) is an Irish coloratura soprano, particularly associated with Handel and Mozart roles.
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Born in Bangor, County Down, Northern Ireland, she studied at The Queen's University of Belfast and then at Royal Academy of Music with Flora Nielsen and Rupert Bruce-Lockhart. She made her professional debut with the Glyndebourne Touring Opera Company, as Zerlina, in 1970.[1] The same year, she made her debut at the Royal Opera House in London, as Fiakermilli, and at the Glyndebourne Festival, as Papagena.
Burrowes joined the English National Opera in 1971, and quickly began to appear on the international scene, notably at the Salzburg Festival, the Paris Opéra, the Aix-en-Provence Festival. She made her Metropolitan Opera debut in 1979 as Blondchen.[1][2]
She began her career singing mostly soubrette roles, such as: Blonde, Susanna, Despina, but gradually expanded to light coloratura parts, such as Adina, Norina, Marie, Oscar, Nanetta and Zerbinetta, later adding more lyrical roles such as Pamina, Juliette and Manon. She also excelled in opera by Purcell, Handel, and Haydn, in which she can be heard on several recordings.
From 1969 to 1980 she was married to the conductor Steuart Bedford,[2] with whom she recorded the role of Alison in Holst's The Wandering Scholar.
A singer with a pure and silvery voice, secure coloratura technique and delightful stage presence, Burrowes retired from the stage in 1982.[1] She married former tenor Emile Belcourt, and in 1992 joined him at the University of Saskatoon as a vocal coach.[3] In 1994 they resettled with their family in Toronto,[3] where Burrowes is currently a member of the vocal faculty at York University.