Ava June

Ava June Wiggins (23 July 1931 — 22 February 2013) was an English opera singer noted for her roles with the Sadler's Wells Opera (now called the English National Opera). She joined the Opera in 1953 and switched from a mezzo to soprano on the persuasion of her teacher Clive Carey. June left the company in 1963 and also won a gold medal at the Sofia International Competition for young opera singers. She rejoined Sadler's Wells Opera seven years later and made her first performance in the United States in 1974 with the San Francisco Opera. June's last professional appearance as a singer came in 1983 and retired the following year to enter into a coaching role for the next generation of singers. She also taught with various musical organisations and brought her opera experience to directing productions until 1999.

Biography

Early life and education

She was born Ava June Wiggins on 23 July 1931 at the East End Maternity Home, Commercial Road, in Stepney, East London. Her father George Oliver Wiggins was a tailor and carpenter and her mother Violet Grace was an employee of the Johnnie Walker whisky company. She was known to June to her family and was evacuated to Oxfordshire when World War II broke out. Upon leaving school at the age of 14, June worked as a dressmaker at the Novello Theatre for the conductor's productions. While working on the costumes for King's Rhapsody, she met the composer in person and encouraged her to take formal lessons. June's first lessons came when she was 16 with the contralto Kate Opperman. In an interview in 2005, she described her as "the founder of my voice". June studied at the London Opera Centre and received coaching from the soprano Joan Cross. She later studied with the soprano Eva Turner and with bartone performers Denis Dowling and Clive Carey. It was at the school where June was introduced to the operas of Benjamin Britten.

Career

In 1953, when she adopted the stage name Ava June, she joined the Sadler's Wells Opera chorus. June was initially a mezzo but was later persuaded by her teacher Clive Carey to switch to soprano roles. She won the Queen's Prize at the Royal College of Music in 1955. June's performances in the chorus led to her appointment as a principal soloist for the 1957–58 season. Her solo career began with “a promising Musetta” in ''La bohème'' and followed this by playing The Foreign Women in ''The Consul'' by Gian Carlo Menotti. June's 1958 Covent Garden debut saw her perform as the Heavenly Voice in Luchino Visconti's production of ''Don Carlos'' by Giuseppe Verdi and was conducted by Carlo Maria Giulini. When Fidelio returned the next year under Rudolf Schwarz, June sang Marcellina and repeated this performance in 1960 but with Colin Davis as the conductor. That same year, she made her first (and only) appearance with the Royal Scottish National Orchestra under Alexander Gibson as Abigaille in Verdi's ''Nabucco'' with concert performances in Edinburgh and Glasgow. Also in 1960, June participated in a production of Georges Bizet's ''Les pêcheurs de perles'' with the tenor Charles Craig.

In 1961, she played the role of the May Queen in Edward German's ''Merrie England'', and was Tatyana in Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky's opera ''Eugene Onegin'' in the same year. The following year, June gained the part of Violetta in ''La traviata'' and followed this with a performance as a Marenka in ''The Bartered Bride'' and Micaëla in ''Carmen''. Despite being firmly established, June travelled with the tenor Alberto Remedios to Bulgaria to take part in the Sofia International Competition for young opera singers, winning the gold medal, and giving her wider recognition. At the start of the 1963 season, she sang the part of Agathe in ''Der Freischütz'', and the following year, with Davis conducting, played Ilia in Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart's ''Idomeneo''. June sang Butterfly under Mario Bernardi