Audrey Mildmay

Grace Audrey Laura St John-Mildmay (19 December 1900 – 31 May 1953) was an English and Canadian soprano and co-founder, with her husband, John Christie, of Glyndebourne Festival Opera. The Canadian Encyclopedia describes her voice "as a light lyric soprano employed with much charm."

Early life and career Grace Audrey Louisa St. John Mildmay was born in Herstmonceux, Sussex, England. Her father was Sir Aubrey St John Mildmay, Bt, a British Anglican priest, and when she was three months old he accepted the parish of Penticton, British Columbia in Canada. He showered her with gifts after her departure, including hampers from Fortnum & Mason because he felt she was too thin.

Mildmay had a history of tonsillitis, and after a tonsillectomy began studying with the Hungarian singing teacher Jani Strasser in Vienna. She also sang opera roles in Brighton and concerts at Glyndebourne itself. and Rudolf Bing joined them, at first as a jack-of-all-trades but in later seasons as director. The inaugural Glyndebourne Festival opened on 28 May 1934 with Mildmay, who was two months pregnant with her second child, singing Susanna in The Marriage of Figaro. The conductor, Fritz Busch, insisted Mildmay audition for him before giving her the role, and she accepted the condition willingly. During a visit to Edinburgh as part of the tour, Mildmay remarked to Rudolf Bing, "What a place for a Festival!" The comment was to prove a catalyst for the founding of the Edinburgh International Festival. She made her final operatic appearance in May 1943 in Montreal, singing the role of Susanna under the direction of Sir Thomas Beecham. The project was dear to Mildmay's heart, and she and her husband sat on the Council.