Elaine Marguirite Padmore OBE (born 1947) is a British opera administrator, broadcaster, and author. From 2000 until her retirement in 2011, she was Director of Opera at London's Royal Opera House. She was awarded an OBE in the 2012 Birthday Honours List[1][2]
Elaine Padmore | |
|---|---|
| Born | Elaine Marguirite Padmore 1947 Haworth, UK |
| Education | |
| Occupation | opera administrator |
Life and career edit
Born in Haworth, Yorkshire, Padmore spent her childhood in Kingston upon Hull where she attended Newland School for Girls and her teenage years in Blackpool where she attended Arnold School. She went on to the University of Birmingham, graduating with a Bachelor of Music degree in music. Trained as a singer and also a skilled pianist, while still an undergraduate, she accompanied singers such as Janet Baker and Robert Tear when they sang at the Barber Institute. After post-graduate study at the Guildhall School of Music, she initially worked as a music book editor for Oxford University Press before joining the BBC. At the BBC she rose from being a general music producer for Radio Three to becoming its chief producer of opera.[3][4]
From 1982 to 1994, Padmore was the General Director of Ireland's Wexford Festival Opera and from 1991 to 1994 concurrently served as the Artistic Director of Opera Ireland. In 1993 she was appointed Artistic Director of the Royal Danish Opera, a post which she held until 2000 when she was named Director of Opera at the newly re-opened Royal Opera House in London. She retired in October 2011. The following year she was awarded an OBE "for services to music".[3][5][6]
Publications edit
- "German Expressionist Opera, 1910-1935" (1969). Proceedings of the Royal Musical Association, pp. 41–53
- Wagner (1971). Faber and Faber (Great Composers series for children)[7]
- "Hindemith and Grünewald" (1972). Music Review, Vol. 33, pp. 190–93
References edit
- ^ Shipman, Chris (16 June 2012). "Honours for David McVicar, Elaine Padmore and Gareth Malone". Royal Opera House. Retrieved 8 November 2017.
- ^ The Times (3 February 2011). "Happy Birthday: Elaine Padmore, 64". Retrieved 8 November 2017.
- ^ a b Chanteau, Cara (7 September 2003). "Elaine Padmore: The quiet woman makes her mark". The Independent. Retrieved 8 November 2017.
- ^ Sleeman, Elizabeth (ed.) (2002). The International Who's Who of Women 3rd Edition, p. 429. Taylor and Francis. ISBN 1857431227
- ^ Sevilla-Gonzaga, Marylis (May 1997). "Copenhagen sings". Opera News. Retrieved 8 November 2017 (subscription required).
- ^ The London Gazette (16 June 2012). Supplement: 60173, p. 11.
- ^ Dean, Winton (March 1972). "Great Composers: Wagner by Elaine Padmore; Rossini by James Harding". The Musical Times, Vol. 113, No. 1549, pp. 269-270. Retrieved 9 November 2017 via JSTOR (subscription required).