Howell Glynne

Howell Glynne (24 January 190624 November 1969 ) was an operatic bass. He was born in Britain but lived the latter years of his life in Canada, and taught singing at the University of Toronto.

Biography He was born in Britain as Howell Glynne Jones in 1906, in Swansea, South Wales. Die Fledermaus and La Cenerentola. In 1962 he sang Pooh-Bah in a radio broadcast of The Mikado.

He created the roles of Ford in the first professional performance of Ralph Vaughan Williams’ Sir John in Love (April 1946), Joseph Lavatte in Sir Arthur Bliss's opera The Olympians (1949), and in Canada, the Hon William McDougall in Harry Somers’ opera Louis Riel (1967). He appeared as the Ghost in the first performance in English of Humphrey Searle's opera Hamlet, in Toronto in February 1969.

His students included Stafford Dean. His recordings include excerpts from Simon Boccanegra, Merrie England, The Merry Widow, and a complete Tosca (as the Sacristan, to Renata Tebaldi's Tosca).

His first wife was Lena Williams, with whom he had two children, Enid Mair Jones (born 12/24/1927) and Barbara Jean Jones (born 4/18/30). His second wife was Frieda Irons, a model. Frieda had one son by a former marriage, Michael, who legally changed his name to Michael Glynne, but was not formally adopted by Howell Glynne. He died in a car accident in Toronto on 24 November 1969.

The Royal Conservatory of Music (Canada) endows a Howell Glynne Operatic Scholarship.