Jean Hindmarsh
Encyclopedia
Jean Hindmarsh is a retired singer and actress. She is best known as a principal soprano
with the D'Oyly Carte Opera Company
in the 1950s and 1960s.
and educated at Lawnswood
High School. There, she was prominent in the school's musical and theatrical productions, including Merrie England
in 1950, in which she played Sir Walter Raleigh. Hindmarsh gained her teaching diploma (ARMCM) from the Royal College of Music
in Manchester
and then continued to study opera for an additional 18 months. She played the lead in two college productions and sang in concert
s and oratorio
s. Hindmarsh was the runner-up in the first Kathleen Ferrier
Competition in 1955 and won the Blackpool
heat against 97 competitors. A representative from the D'Oyly Carte Opera Company
heard her performance and invited her to audition.
Hindmarsh was engaged by the D'Oyly Carte Opera Company in March 1956 as principal soprano. Over the next four years, she played the title role in Princess Ida
, Mabel in The Pirates of Penzance
, Elsie Maynard in The Yeomen of the Guard
, Gianetta in The Gondoliers
and Josephine in HMS Pinafore
, soon adding the small role of Lady Ella in Patience
. In 1959, she began instead to play the title role in Patience. Hindmarsh married in 1960 and left the D'Oyly Carte organisation when she was expecting her first child. She rejoined the Company as a guest artist in her old roles for seasons in 1961–62, 1962–63, in the spring of 1963, 1963–64, and in the spring of 1969. These included two London seasons, one provincial tour and one American tour. In reviewing Princess Ida in 1961, The Times
wrote that, in the title role, "Hindmarsh charms, amuses and... moves the audience". That paper commented on a 1962 performance of The Gondoliers: "Outstanding among last night's cast was Miss Jean Hindmarsh, a winning Giannetta both in appearance and voice."
Hindmarsh sings the lead soprano roles on four D'Oyly Carte recordings: Yum-Yum in The Mikado
(1957), Mabel in Pirates (1957), Josephine in Pinafore (1960), and Rose Maybud in Ruddigore
(1962), even though she never played Yum-Yum or Rose with the company. Of the 1957 Pirates, reviewer Mel Moratti wrote, "The highlights must be the pairing of Thomas Round
and Jean Hindmarsh as Frederic and Mabel. Their solos and duets are most delightful". The Rough Guide to Opera comments that she "is a uniquely charming Josephine" in Pinafore.
In recent years, Hindmarsh has performed and given talks at the International Gilbert and Sullivan Festival
. At the Festival, in 1999, Hindmarsh and baritone
Michael Rayner gave the world premiere performance of "Reflect, my child", a song cut from H.M.S. Pinafore before the opera opened in 1878 and reconstructed in 1998.
Soprano
A soprano is a voice type with a vocal range from approximately middle C to "high A" in choral music, or to "soprano C" or higher in operatic music. In four-part chorale style harmony, the soprano takes the highest part, which usually encompasses the melody...
with the D'Oyly Carte Opera Company
D'Oyly Carte Opera Company
The D'Oyly Carte Opera Company was a professional light opera company that staged Gilbert and Sullivan's Savoy operas. The company performed nearly year-round in the UK and sometimes toured in Europe, North America and elsewhere, from the 1870s until it closed in 1982. It was revived in 1988 and...
in the 1950s and 1960s.
Biography
HIndmarsh was born in LeedsLeeds
Leeds is a city and metropolitan borough in West Yorkshire, England. In 2001 Leeds' main urban subdivision had a population of 443,247, while the entire city has a population of 798,800 , making it the 30th-most populous city in the European Union.Leeds is the cultural, financial and commercial...
and educated at Lawnswood
Lawnswood
Lawnswood is a small suburb in the north west of the city of Leeds in West Yorkshire, England. As such it is north north east of the West Yorkshire Urban Area.- Location :It is bordered by West Park, Adel, Ireland Wood and Holt Park...
High School. There, she was prominent in the school's musical and theatrical productions, including Merrie England
Merrie England (opera)
Merrie England is an English comic opera in two acts by Edward German to a libretto by Basil Hood. The patriotic story concerns love and rivalries at the court of Queen Elizabeth I, who is portrayed as jealous of the affection of Sir Walter Raleigh for Bessie Throckmorton. Its sunny depiction of...
in 1950, in which she played Sir Walter Raleigh. Hindmarsh gained her teaching diploma (ARMCM) from the Royal College of Music
Royal Northern College of Music
The Royal Northern College of Music is a music school in Manchester, England. It is located on Oxford Road in Chorlton on Medlock, at the western edge of the campus of the University of Manchester and is one of four conservatories associated with the Associated Board of the Royal Schools of Music...
in Manchester
Manchester
Manchester is a city and metropolitan borough in Greater Manchester, England. According to the Office for National Statistics, the 2010 mid-year population estimate for Manchester was 498,800. Manchester lies within one of the UK's largest metropolitan areas, the metropolitan county of Greater...
and then continued to study opera for an additional 18 months. She played the lead in two college productions and sang in concert
Concert
A concert is a live performance before an audience. The performance may be by a single musician, sometimes then called a recital, or by a musical ensemble, such as an orchestra, a choir, or a musical band...
s and oratorio
Oratorio
An oratorio is a large musical composition including an orchestra, a choir, and soloists. Like an opera, an oratorio includes the use of a choir, soloists, an ensemble, various distinguishable characters, and arias...
s. Hindmarsh was the runner-up in the first Kathleen Ferrier
Kathleen Ferrier
Kathleen Mary Ferrier CBE was an English contralto who achieved an international reputation as a stage, concert and recording artist, with a repertoire extending from folksong and popular ballads to the classical works of Bach, Brahms, Mahler and Elgar...
Competition in 1955 and won the Blackpool
Blackpool
Blackpool is a borough, seaside town, and unitary authority area of Lancashire, in North West England. It is situated along England's west coast by the Irish Sea, between the Ribble and Wyre estuaries, northwest of Preston, north of Liverpool, and northwest of Manchester...
heat against 97 competitors. A representative from the D'Oyly Carte Opera Company
D'Oyly Carte Opera Company
The D'Oyly Carte Opera Company was a professional light opera company that staged Gilbert and Sullivan's Savoy operas. The company performed nearly year-round in the UK and sometimes toured in Europe, North America and elsewhere, from the 1870s until it closed in 1982. It was revived in 1988 and...
heard her performance and invited her to audition.
Hindmarsh was engaged by the D'Oyly Carte Opera Company in March 1956 as principal soprano. Over the next four years, she played the title role in Princess Ida
Princess Ida
Princess Ida; or, Castle Adamant is a comic opera with music by Arthur Sullivan and libretto by W. S. Gilbert. It was their eighth operatic collaboration of fourteen. Princess Ida opened at the Savoy Theatre on January 5, 1884, for a run of 246 performances...
, Mabel in The Pirates of Penzance
The Pirates of Penzance
The Pirates of Penzance; or, The Slave of Duty is a comic opera in two acts, with music by Arthur Sullivan and libretto by W. S. Gilbert. The opera's official premiere was at the Fifth Avenue Theatre in New York City on 31 December 1879, where the show was well received by both audiences...
, Elsie Maynard in The Yeomen of the Guard
The Yeomen of the Guard
The Yeomen of the Guard; or, The Merryman and His Maid, is a Savoy Opera, with music by Arthur Sullivan and libretto by W. S. Gilbert. It premiered at the Savoy Theatre on 3 October 1888, and ran for 423 performances...
, Gianetta in The Gondoliers
The Gondoliers
The Gondoliers; or, The King of Barataria is a Savoy Opera, with music by Arthur Sullivan and libretto by W. S. Gilbert. It premiered at the Savoy Theatre on 7 December 1889 and ran for a very successful 554 performances , closing on 30 June 1891...
and Josephine in HMS Pinafore
HMS Pinafore
H.M.S. Pinafore; or, The Lass That Loved a Sailor is a comic opera in two acts, with music by Arthur Sullivan and a libretto by W. S. Gilbert. It opened at the Opera Comique in London, England, on 25 May 1878 and ran for 571 performances, which was the second-longest run of any musical...
, soon adding the small role of Lady Ella in Patience
Patience (opera)
Patience; or, Bunthorne's Bride, is a comic opera in two acts with music by Arthur Sullivan and libretto by W. S. Gilbert. First performed at the Opera Comique, London, on 23 April 1881, it moved to the 1,292-seat Savoy Theatre on 10 October 1881, where it was the first theatrical production in the...
. In 1959, she began instead to play the title role in Patience. Hindmarsh married in 1960 and left the D'Oyly Carte organisation when she was expecting her first child. She rejoined the Company as a guest artist in her old roles for seasons in 1961–62, 1962–63, in the spring of 1963, 1963–64, and in the spring of 1969. These included two London seasons, one provincial tour and one American tour. In reviewing Princess Ida in 1961, The Times
The Times
The Times is a British daily national newspaper, first published in London in 1785 under the title The Daily Universal Register . The Times and its sister paper The Sunday Times are published by Times Newspapers Limited, a subsidiary since 1981 of News International...
wrote that, in the title role, "Hindmarsh charms, amuses and... moves the audience". That paper commented on a 1962 performance of The Gondoliers: "Outstanding among last night's cast was Miss Jean Hindmarsh, a winning Giannetta both in appearance and voice."
Hindmarsh sings the lead soprano roles on four D'Oyly Carte recordings: Yum-Yum in The Mikado
The Mikado
The Mikado; or, The Town of Titipu is a comic opera in two acts, with music by Arthur Sullivan and libretto by W. S. Gilbert, their ninth of fourteen operatic collaborations...
(1957), Mabel in Pirates (1957), Josephine in Pinafore (1960), and Rose Maybud in Ruddigore
Ruddigore
Ruddigore; or, The Witch's Curse, originally called Ruddygore, is a comic opera in two acts, with music by Arthur Sullivan and libretto by W. S. Gilbert. It is one of the Savoy Operas and the tenth of fourteen comic operas written together by Gilbert and Sullivan...
(1962), even though she never played Yum-Yum or Rose with the company. Of the 1957 Pirates, reviewer Mel Moratti wrote, "The highlights must be the pairing of Thomas Round
Thomas Round
Thomas Round is a retired English opera singer and actor, best known for his performances in the tenor roles of the Savoy Operas and in grand opera....
and Jean Hindmarsh as Frederic and Mabel. Their solos and duets are most delightful". The Rough Guide to Opera comments that she "is a uniquely charming Josephine" in Pinafore.
In recent years, Hindmarsh has performed and given talks at the International Gilbert and Sullivan Festival
International Gilbert and Sullivan Festival
The International Gilbert and Sullivan Festival is held every summer at the Opera House in Buxton, Derbyshire, England. The three-week Festival of Gilbert and Sullivan performances and fringe events attracts thousands of visitors, including performers, supporters, and G&S enthusiasts from all...
. At the Festival, in 1999, Hindmarsh and baritone
Baritone
Baritone is a type of male singing voice that lies between the bass and tenor voices. It is the most common male voice. Originally from the Greek , meaning deep sounding, music for this voice is typically written in the range from the second F below middle C to the F above middle C Baritone (or...
Michael Rayner gave the world premiere performance of "Reflect, my child", a song cut from H.M.S. Pinafore before the opera opened in 1878 and reconstructed in 1998.
External links
- Jean Hindmarsh at the Internet Movie DatabaseInternet Movie DatabaseInternet Movie Database is an online database of information related to movies, television shows, actors, production crew personnel, video games and fictional characters featured in visual entertainment media. It is one of the most popular online entertainment destinations, with over 100 million...
- Jean Hindmarsh photos at the Memories of the D'Oyly Carte website
- Jean Hindmarsh photos at David Sandham's site
- Photos of Hindmarsh as Princess Ida