Patricia Payne

Patricia Katherine Payne (born 8 March 1942) is an operatic mezzo-soprano and contralto from New Zealand. A member of London's Royal Opera House, she made an international career, performing leading roles of both Wagner and Italian repertory at major opera houses of the world. After decades of singing, she became a visual artist.

Career Born in Dunedin, Payne was educated at Otago Girls' High School. she continued her studies in London. She was a student at the London Opera Centre from 1967 to 1968, and also studied with Roy Henderson, Hans Hotter and Vera Rózsa.

She appeared at the Bayreuth Festival in 1977, as Schwertleite and First Norn in the Jahrhundertring, the centenary production of Wagner's Der Ring des Nibelungen, conducted by Pierre Boulez and staged by Patrice Chéreau. In 2007, she was conferred with an honorary Doctor of Music degree by the University of Otago.