Patricia Johnson

British mezzo-soprano / contralto, born 1934 in London, England.

Patricia Johnson sang in the Covent Garden chorus before joining Sadler's Wells Opera in 1954. Carmen, Delilah and Azucena were among her early roles. She was at the Basle Opera from 1957, notably in the title role of La Cenerentola. In 1961 she joined the Deutsche Oper, Berlin, where she appeared as Azucena, Eboli, and Fricka. She created there in 1965 Baroness Grunwiesel in Henze's Der junge Lord, and also sang in Lulu and La Calisto in 1975.

At the Salzburg Festival Patricia Johnson appeared in 1962-1963, as Marcellina in Le Nozze di Figaro, Her Glyndebourne roles in 1965-1968 included Jane Seymour in Anna Bolena, Lady Billows in Albert Herring, the Sorceress in Dido and Aeneas and Storage in Jephtha. At Covent Garden she sang the Countess de Coigny in Andrea Chénier in 1985, Andromache in King Priam, the Queen in Searle's Hamlet, the Kostelnicka, Marcellina, Baba the Turk and Mrs Sedley in Peter Grimes. She has also sung at Santa Fe, and Aix-en-Provence. Her roles have ranged from Cenerentola, Eboli and Lady Macbeth to Fricka, Herodias, and Claire in Der Besuch der alten Dame. More recently she has sung Adelaide in Arabella and the Old Lady in Candide in 1989, and Kabanichka in Katya Kabanova, one of her finest interpretations, in 1991. She has also appeared in many concerts and oratorios