Joan Sutherland

About

Dame Joan Alston Sutherland (1926-2010) was a dramatic coloratura soprano from Sydney, Australia who almost single-handedly contributed to the revival of the "bel-canto" genre of opera singing in the mid-20th Century as well as being celebrated by her peers as one of the world's greatest sopranos of her kind. Her performance history and repertoire was remarkably extensive, and in addition to excelling at performing the female lead role in many operas from the standard repertoire, her performances in lesser known operas did much to bring these works to the attention of a much wider audience. Her legendary performance of an aria from Handel's oratorio Samson in 1958 earned for Sutherland a standing ovation that lasted over 10 minutes. Joan Sutherland's career lasted over four decades, leaving behind recordings of her performances that future generations of opera singers have yet to emulate, much less surpass in skill and artistry.