Lute Drummond

Lute Drummond or Ruth Janet Drummond (6 September 1879 – 27 May 1949) was an operatic coach and music director from Australia.

Biography Drummond was born in Ulmarra in New South Wales and was the eighth of nine children born to James and Annie Drummond and she received very little formal schooling in her early years. In 1893, when she was a teenager, the family moved to Ballina and later, for an unknown period she went to Perth in Western Australia with her younger sister Jean. They would later state that while in Berlin they suffered no hardships, but did have much humiliation. Drummond later travelled to Italy where she had obtained operatic engagements. While in Italy Drummond translated to opera Il Trittico, by Giacomo Puccini, into English. Drummond and her sister returned to Australia around 1920 when their family expressed concern about the Spanish Flu. she was also passionate about the free libraries movement. During this visit she went to the Anthroposophical Society in Switzerland where she was one of the initial Australian members. Later, between and 1948 she was the general secretary for them in Australia. In 1935 she also directed a classical and sacred drama entitled ‘Iphigenia', alongside Marion Mahony Griffin, at an open-air theatre at Castlecrag as a part of the anthroposophical movement.

In 1936 she produced the first of several opera series for the Australian Broadcasting Commission. She died on 27 May 1949 in Lindfield.

Collections The papers of Drummond are available at the National Library of Australia:

Legacy The high school building at the Glenaeon Rudolf Steiner School is named for Drummond.