Heather Harper

Heather Mary Harper (8 May 1930 – 22 April 2019 ) was a Northern Irish operatic soprano. She was active internationally in both opera and concert. She performed roles such as Helena in Benjamin Britten's A Midsummer Night's Dream at the Royal Opera House, Elsa in Wagner's Lohengrin at the Bayreuth Festival, and the Countess in Mozart's The Marriage of Figaro at the Metropolitan Opera. She became known internationally when she stepped in for the world premiere of Britten's War Requiem in 1962, and remained associated with the composer's work, but also sang other premieres.

Early life and education Heather Harper was born on 8 May 1930 in Belfast, the BBC Chorus and the George Mitchell Singers.

Career Her professional debut came in 1954, singing Lady Macbeth in Verdi's Macbeth at the Oxford University Opera Club, produced by Jack Westrup. In 1965, she was the soprano soloist in the second UK performance of Delius's Requiem in Liverpool, conducted by Charles Groves. She sang in it again in 1968 in London, conducted by Meredith Davies, and appeared in the first recording with the same participants.

Recordings Her recordings include Peter Grimes in both audio and video formats. In 1957, she took part in first recordings, conducted by Antony Hopkins, of sacred works by Michel Richard Delalande for the L'Oiseau-Lyre label. Some 1970s recordings, conducted by Sir Georg Solti, were reissued, notably Mahler's Eighth Symphony with Lucia Popp, Arleen Augér, Yvonne Minton, Helen Watts, René Kollo, John Shirley-Quirk and Martti Talvela; and Die Frau ohne Schatten by Richard Strauss with Helga Dernesch, Ruth Hesse, James King and Walter Berry (Covent Garden, 1976, Fiori). Two of her recordings won the Grammy Award, Peter Grimes in 1979 and Songs Of Maurice Ravel in 1984.

Personal life Harper married twice. Her first marriage to Leonard Buck ended in divorce in 1972. She married Argentinian scientist Eduardo E. Benarroch in 1973.