Margaret Haggart

Margaret Haggart OAM is an Australian operatic soprano and community arts founder based in Melbourne, Australia.[1] Her career spans over 90 operatic, operetta and cabaret roles, performed in the United Kingdom, Italy, France, the United States of America, South America, Singapore, New Zealand and Australia.[2][1][3] She is a board member of Melbourne Opera, Green Room Awards and a committee member for the now finished Mietta Song Competition.[4][5][6]

Margaret Haggart standing looking at camera smiling, she is wearing a jacket with the label "The Silent Anzac" behind her a stacked chairs and marble columns.
Margaret Haggart in Australia House, London after a performance of the Silent Anzac on Remembrance Day 2018

In June 2023 she was awarded an Order of Australia for services to the performing arts.[7]

Early life

Haggart grew up in the Melbourne suburb of Footscray, her father a Scottish coal miner migrated to Australia and met her mother of English heritage when they were working at a zip factory in Deer Park.[3] Haggart attended North Footscray Primary School and Footscray Girls High School. In her teenage years, she participated in choir and light opera opportunities in her local community. She studied voice with Antonio Moretti-Pananti.[1]

Haggart performed regularly with the Williamstown Light Opera, Hawthorn Light Opera, and was a founding member of the Victoria State Opera.[3]

International career

In 1972, Haggart moved to the United Kingdom where she regularly performed with the English National Opera, Welsh National Opera, Opera North and Scottish Opera. She was particularly known for singing Mozart's Königin der Nacht from the opera Die Zauberflöte.[1]

She sang for the BBC Proms at Royal Albert Hall in 1976.[8] In France she sang with the Opéra national de Lorraine (formerly known as Opéra de Nancy) and Chorégies d'Orange.[9]

Association with Gian Carlo Menotti

Haggart was invited by Gian Carlo Menotti to perform in his Festival dei Due Mondi in Spoleto in 1986. This included the recorded-to-video performance of Menotti's La santa di Bleecker Street for the festival. She then travelled to the US and performed in the same production for the 10th U.S. Spoleto Festival.[10][11][12] Menotti founded the Spoleto Festival Melbourne, where she was invited to perform in its opening season.[1]

Discography
  • Concerto on Australian Themes, An Australian in Paris (1998) – Naxos, 8.554368[13]
  • Hansel and Gretel, Humperdinck (1999) – Opera D'Oro, OPD-1204[14]

Filmography

References
  1. "Living Museum of the West – hear our voices". www.livingmuseum.org.au. Retrieved 2023-04-05.
  2. "Meet the soloists: Margaret Haggart – MonUCS". Retrieved 2023-04-05.
  3. "Maggie Haggart Interview". operafolks.com. Retrieved 2023-04-05.
  4. "About". Melbourne Opera. Retrieved 2023-04-05.
  5. "Opera – The Green Room Awards". Retrieved 2023-04-05.
  6. "Committee | Mietta Song Competition – an Australian Classical Singing Competition". www.miettafoundation.com.au. Retrieved 2023-04-05.
  7. jimjin (2023-06-12). "King's Birthday honours for service and dedication". Maribyrnong & Hobsons Bay. Retrieved 2023-07-07.
  8. "BBC Proms". BBC Music Events. Retrieved 2023-04-05.
  9. "Winfried Maczewski und seine Frau Sophie verstorben". Städtischer Musikverein zu Düsseldorf (in German). 2016-03-05. Retrieved 2023-04-05.
  10. "Omaggio a Gian Carlo Menotti". RAI Press Office. Retrieved 2023-04-05.
  11. Page, Tim (1986-05-25). "Opera: U.S. Spoleto Festival Opens". The New York Times. Retrieved 2023-04-05.
  12. "Spoleto Festival USA" (PDF). Program History 2018–1977: 1–157.
  13. Michael Easton, Brett Kelly, State Orchestra Of Victoria Victoria State Orchestra Bernadette Conlon, Len Vorster, Margaret Haggart – Concerto on Australian Themes, An Australian in Paris, retrieved 2023-04-05
  14. Margaret Haggart at Discogs
  15. The Turn of the Screw: Britten (TV Movie 1991) at IMDb
  16. Hansel and Gretel (TV Movie 1992) at IMDb
  17. La santa di Bleecker Street (TV Movie 1986)id=tt12992626 at IMDb
  18. The Barber of Seville (TV Movie 1984) at IMDb
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