British soprano Eva Turner was born in Oldham in 1892. She studied in Bristol and later with Albert Richards Broad at the Royal Academy of Music in London. In her early career she sang for some years with the Carl Rosa Company, largely on tour around the UK. Here she was able to try out the heavier Italian rôles and even Brünnhilde in Wagner’s Götterdämmerung. She was heard by the conductor Panizza, who sent her to Milan to sing for Maestro Toscanini, and she made her début at the Teatro alla Scala as Freia in Wagner’s Rheingold. She quickly became established as a leading dramatic soprano in Italy where she sang widely for many years.
As PucciniΓÇÖs Turandot Eva Turner had few rivals. At Covent Garden, as well as the Italian dramatic parts, she was heard as WagnerΓÇÖs Isolde (Tristan and Isolde) and Sieglinde (Die Walk├╝re). She also sang in the United States and South America. After retiring she taught at the University of Oklahoma from 1950-1959 and then at the R.A.M. in London. She was created a Dame Order of the British Empire in 1962. Her immensely strong, trumpet like voice ranged from the lower G (below middle C) to D in alt.
