Evelyn Gardiner (12 March 1894 – 13 June 1970), born Enid Mary Griffin, was an English opera singer and actress known for her work as principal contralto in the

Gilbert and Sullivan Gilbert and Sullivan was a Victorian era, Victorian-era theatrical partnership of the dramatist W. S. Gilbert (1836–1911) and the composer Arthur Sullivan (1842–1900), who jointly created fourteen comic operas between 1871 and 1896, of which ...

comic operas with the D'Oyly Carte Opera Company and

J. C. Williamson James Cassius Williamson (26 August 1845 – 6 July 1913) was an American actor and later Australia's foremost impresario, founding the J. C. Williamson's theatrical and production company. Born in Pennsylvania, Williamson moved with his fami ...

, as well as for other stage acting. In 1933, Gardiner earned a pilot's licence and claimed to be only the second British actress ever to do so.

Life and career

Early life and career

Gardiner was born in

Shepherd's Bush Shepherd's Bush is a district of West London, England, within the London Borough of Hammersmith and Fulham west of Charing Cross, and identified as a major metropolitan centre in the London Plan. Although primarily residential in character, i ...

, West London, the daughter of Jane and Charles George Griffin, a manager at

Liberty's Liberty, commonly known as Liberty's, is a luxury department store in London, England. It is located on Great Marlborough Street in the West End of London. The building spans from Carnaby Street on the East to Kingly Street on the West, where ...

, the London department store. She was educated in London and Paris.Burgess, Michael
"Evelyn Gardiner"
''Memories of the D'Oyly Carte Opera Company'', accessed 22 May 2015 Gardiner joined the D'Oyly Carte Opera Company in 1921 singing in the chorus of their

operas. Within months, she was cast as the understudy for the company's principal contralto,

Bertha Lewis Bertha Amy Lewis (12 May 1887 – 8 May 1931) was an English opera singer and actress primarily known for her work as principal contralto in the Gilbert and Sullivan comic operas with the D'Oyly Carte Opera Company. Life and career Early life ...

. Her first principal role with the company was Inez in '' The Gondoliers'' in 1923, and the following season, she occasionally filled in as the Duchess of Plaza-Toro in that opera. She left the Company in 1925.Stone, David
"Evelyn Gardiner"
Who Was Who in the D'Oyly Carte Opera Company, 24 May 2004, accessed 12 May 2015 Gardiner next appeared in films and in pantomime and variety. She appeared in plays in London at the Regent Theatre from 1928 to 1931. In 1931, Gardiner joined the

Gilbert and Sullivan Opera Company, appearing with them for the next three seasons, and also in 1935, in Australia, New Zealand and South Africa, as the Duchess of Plaza-Toro in ''The Gondoliers'', Ruth in '' The Pirates of Penzance'', Dame Carruthers in '' The Yeomen of the Guard'' and other Gilbert and Sullivan contralto parts. In the meantime, briefly in 1934, she played the Slave of the Lamp in a pantomime production of ''Aladdin and His Wonderful Lamp'' in London at the Prince Edward Theatre. She became interested in flying and, while in Australia in 1933, she earned a pilot's licence. She claimed to be only the second actress in the British empire ever to do so."Actress Gains Pilot's Licence"
''The Sydney Morning Herald'', 18 April 1933, p. 12; and "G. and S. Contralto Is a Pilot", ''The Age'', 9 September 1940, p. 12 In 1936, she returned to the D'Oyly Carte Opera Company for their American tour and then, over the following three years, she played the contralto roles in all their productions: Lady Sangazure in '' The Sorcerer'', Little Buttercup in '' H.M.S. Pinafore'', Ruth in ''Pirates'', Lady Jane in '' Patience'', the Fairy Queen in ''

Iolanthe ''Iolanthe; or, The Peer and the Peri'' () is a comic opera with music by Arthur Sullivan and libretto by W. S. Gilbert, first performed in 1882. It is one of the Savoy operas and is the seventh of fourteen operatic collaborations by Gilbert ...

'', Lady Blanche in '' Princess Ida'', Katisha in '' The Mikado'', Dame Hannah in '' Ruddigore'', Dame Carruthers in ''Yeomen'', and the Duchess in ''The Gondoliers''.

Second World War and later years

Gardiner returned to Australia in 1939 and continued to perform in the Gilbert and Sullivan operas with the Williamson company until 1951. She married Lieutenant Colonel Richard L. York, DSO in 1940 and enjoyed horseback riding, hunting and fishing, as well as drawing and interior decoration."Miss Evelyn Gardiner"
''The Brisbane Courier'', 12 May 1932, accessed 22 May 2015 Gardiner was awarded an M.B.E. (Member of the Order of the British Empire) for her services in raising support in Australia for relief efforts such as "Bundles for Britain". She retired from the stage in 1960 and then directed Gilbert and Sullivan operas for such amateur groups as the Gilbert & Sullivan Society of Sydney. Gardiner died suddenly at the age of 76 in Honolulu, Hawaii, while on a visit there.

Notes

References

*Joseph, Tony. ''Evelyn Gardiner, Flying Opera Singer'', Bunthorne Books, Bristol (2004)

External links

Gardiner as the Duchess of Plaza ToroGardiner as Dame HannahGardiner as Lady JaneGardiner at the National Portrait Gallery
{{DEFAULTSORT:Gardiner, Evelyn 1894 births 1970 deaths 20th-century English actresses English contraltos British operatic contraltos 20th-century British women opera singers English stage actresses Members of the Order of the British Empire