Joan Ingpen
Encyclopedia
Joan Mary Eileen Ingpen was a well known classical music
and opera
talent manager
and agent. Ingpen is credited with launching the career of the late opera singer, Luciano Pavarotti
. She also served as the former artistic administrator of the Royal Opera House
in London.
in 1916. She enrolled at the Royal Academy of Music
and studied piano
. However, she initially decided to pursue a career as an insurance
agent. She became acquainted with the classical music industry by attending a large number of concerts. Through her concert contacts, she was offered a job with the Entertainments National Service Association
, a United Kingdom
World War II
era agency that provided entertainment to British military servicemen
.
Following the end of World War II
, Ingpen established her own classical music
talent management
agency, Ingpen & Williams
in 1946. The Ingpen & Williams
agency was named for herself and her pet dachshund
, Williams, whom she considered to be co-founders of the agency Her early clients during the 1950s included conductors
Sir Georg Solti
, Geraint Evans
and Rudolf Kempe
, as well as Joan Sutherland
. She was keen to cast British singers, including David Ward, William McCue and William McAlpine.
Ingpen sold Ingpen & Williams in 1961 in order to become the artistic administrator of the Royal Opera House
that same year. However, she remained actively involved in her former agency. In 1963, Ingpen heard in Dublin a young Italian tenor, Luciano Pavarotti
, whose potential she recognised immediately. She booked him as substitute/stand-in singer for Giuseppe di Stefano
in a revival of La Bohème
, offering him the role of Rodolfo for the final performance. Pavarotti took Covent Garden
by storm and his performance earned him critical praise and helped to launch his career as an internationally renowned tenor.
However, she continued to work, this time with the Metropolitan Opera
in New York City
as a vocal consultant, until her retirement from that institution in 1987.
, who predeceased her.
Classical music
Classical music is the art music produced in, or rooted in, the traditions of Western liturgical and secular music, encompassing a broad period from roughly the 11th century to present times...
and opera
Opera
Opera is an art form in which singers and musicians perform a dramatic work combining text and musical score, usually in a theatrical setting. Opera incorporates many of the elements of spoken theatre, such as acting, scenery, and costumes and sometimes includes dance...
talent manager
Talent manager
A talent manager, also known as an artist manager or band manager, is an individual or company who guides the professional career of artists in the entertainment industry...
and agent. Ingpen is credited with launching the career of the late opera singer, Luciano Pavarotti
Luciano Pavarotti
right|thumb|Luciano Pavarotti performing at the opening of the Constantine Palace in [[Strelna]], 31 May 2003. The concert was part of the celebrations for the 300th anniversary of [[St...
. She also served as the former artistic administrator of the Royal Opera House
Royal Opera House
The Royal Opera House is an opera house and major performing arts venue in Covent Garden, central London. The large building is often referred to as simply "Covent Garden", after a previous use of the site of the opera house's original construction in 1732. It is the home of The Royal Opera, The...
in London.
Biography
She was born in LondonLondon
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
in 1916. She enrolled at the Royal Academy of Music
Royal Academy of Music
The Royal Academy of Music in London, England, is a conservatoire, Britain's oldest degree-granting music school and a constituent college of the University of London since 1999. The Academy was founded by Lord Burghersh in 1822 with the help and ideas of the French harpist and composer Nicolas...
and studied piano
Piano
The piano is a musical instrument played by means of a keyboard. It is one of the most popular instruments in the world. Widely used in classical and jazz music for solo performances, ensemble use, chamber music and accompaniment, the piano is also very popular as an aid to composing and rehearsal...
. However, she initially decided to pursue a career as an insurance
Insurance
In law and economics, insurance is a form of risk management primarily used to hedge against the risk of a contingent, uncertain loss. Insurance is defined as the equitable transfer of the risk of a loss, from one entity to another, in exchange for payment. An insurer is a company selling the...
agent. She became acquainted with the classical music industry by attending a large number of concerts. Through her concert contacts, she was offered a job with the Entertainments National Service Association
Entertainments National Service Association
The Entertainments National Service Association or ENSA was an organisation set up in 1939 by Basil Dean and Leslie Henson to provide entertainment for British armed forces personnel during World War II. ENSA operated as part of the Navy, Army and Air Force Institutes...
, a United Kingdom
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
era agency that provided entertainment to British military servicemen
Soldier
A soldier is a member of the land component of national armed forces; whereas a soldier hired for service in a foreign army would be termed a mercenary...
.
Following the end of World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
, Ingpen established her own classical music
Classical music
Classical music is the art music produced in, or rooted in, the traditions of Western liturgical and secular music, encompassing a broad period from roughly the 11th century to present times...
talent management
Talent management
Talent management refers to the skills of attracting highly skilled workers, of integrating new workers, and developing and retaining current workers to meet current and future business objectives. Talent management in this context does not refer to the management of entertainers...
agency, Ingpen & Williams
Ingpen & Williams
Ingpen & Williams International Artists' Management, founded in London in 1946, is a British classical music talent management agency. It is named for founders Joan Ingpen and her dog Williams, a dachshund....
in 1946. The Ingpen & Williams
Ingpen & Williams
Ingpen & Williams International Artists' Management, founded in London in 1946, is a British classical music talent management agency. It is named for founders Joan Ingpen and her dog Williams, a dachshund....
agency was named for herself and her pet dachshund
Dachshund
The dachshund is a short-legged, long-bodied dog breed belonging to the hound family. The standard size dachshund was bred to scent, chase, and flush out badgers and other burrow-dwelling animals, while the miniature dachshund was developed to hunt smaller prey such as rabbits...
, Williams, whom she considered to be co-founders of the agency Her early clients during the 1950s included conductors
Conducting
Conducting is the art of directing a musical performance by way of visible gestures. The primary duties of the conductor are to unify performers, set the tempo, execute clear preparations and beats, and to listen critically and shape the sound of the ensemble...
Sir Georg Solti
Georg Solti
Sir Georg Solti, KBE, was a Hungarian-British orchestral and operatic conductor. He was a major classical recording artist, holding the record for having received the most Grammy Awards, having personally won 31 as a conductor, including the Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award. In addition to his...
, Geraint Evans
Geraint Evans
Sir Geraint Llewellyn Evans was a Welsh baritone or bass-baritone noted for operatic roles including Figaro in Le nozze di Figaro, Papageno in Die Zauberflöte, and the title roles in Falstaff and Wozzeck...
and Rudolf Kempe
Rudolf Kempe
Rudolf Kempe was a German conductor.- Biography :Kempe was born in Dresden, where from the age of fourteen he studied at the Dresden State Opera School. He played oboe in the opera orchestra of Dortmund and then in the Leipzig Gewandhaus orchestra, from 1929...
, as well as Joan Sutherland
Joan Sutherland
Dame Joan Alston Sutherland, OM, AC, DBE was an Australian dramatic coloratura soprano noted for her contribution to the renaissance of the bel canto repertoire from the late 1950s through to the 1980s....
. She was keen to cast British singers, including David Ward, William McCue and William McAlpine.
Ingpen sold Ingpen & Williams in 1961 in order to become the artistic administrator of the Royal Opera House
Royal Opera House
The Royal Opera House is an opera house and major performing arts venue in Covent Garden, central London. The large building is often referred to as simply "Covent Garden", after a previous use of the site of the opera house's original construction in 1732. It is the home of The Royal Opera, The...
that same year. However, she remained actively involved in her former agency. In 1963, Ingpen heard in Dublin a young Italian tenor, Luciano Pavarotti
Luciano Pavarotti
right|thumb|Luciano Pavarotti performing at the opening of the Constantine Palace in [[Strelna]], 31 May 2003. The concert was part of the celebrations for the 300th anniversary of [[St...
, whose potential she recognised immediately. She booked him as substitute/stand-in singer for Giuseppe di Stefano
Giuseppe Di Stefano
Giuseppe Di Stefano was an Italian operatic tenor who sang professionally from the late 1940s until the early 1990s. He was known as the "Golden voice" or "The most beautiful voice", as the true successor of Beniamino Gigli...
in a revival of La Bohème
La bohème
La bohème is an opera in four acts,Puccini called the divisions quadro, a tableau or "image", rather than atto . by Giacomo Puccini to an Italian libretto by Luigi Illica and Giuseppe Giacosa, based on Scènes de la vie de bohème by Henri Murger...
, offering him the role of Rodolfo for the final performance. Pavarotti took Covent Garden
Covent Garden
Covent Garden is a district in London on the eastern fringes of the West End, between St. Martin's Lane and Drury Lane. It is associated with the former fruit and vegetable market in the central square, now a popular shopping and tourist site, and the Royal Opera House, which is also known as...
by storm and his performance earned him critical praise and helped to launch his career as an internationally renowned tenor.
Retirement
Ingpen retired from the industry in 1984 and returned to her home near Brighton, England.However, she continued to work, this time with the Metropolitan Opera
Metropolitan Opera
The Metropolitan Opera is an opera company, located in New York City. Originally founded in 1880, the company gave its first performance on October 22, 1883. The company is operated by the non-profit Metropolitan Opera Association, with Peter Gelb as general manager...
in New York City
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
as a vocal consultant, until her retirement from that institution in 1987.
Death
Joan Ingpen died at her hometown of Hove, England, on December 29, 2007, after a short illness. She was 91 years old. She had been married twice and had no children. In Brighton, she lived with her partner, actor Sebastian ShawSebastian Shaw (actor)
Sebastian Lewis Shaw was an English actor, director, novelist, playwright and poet. During his 65-year career, Shaw appeared in dozens of stage performances and more than 40 film and television productions....
, who predeceased her.