Mary Thomas (soprano)

Averil Mary Thomas (2 August 1932 – 17 April 1997) was a Welsh soprano.

Career

After studying at the Royal Academy of Music,[1] she established herself in the 1960s as a successful early music performer. She appeared as a soloist as well as a member of the Deller Consort. She was also notable for her work in contemporary music. Peter Maxwell Davies wrote pieces with her voice and dramatic ability in mind.[1][2]

Notable performances

She gave the first performances of a number of works by Peter Maxwell Davies, accompanied by the Fires of London.

She appeared at the Proms between 1962 and 1983 singing music ranging from Baroque to Maxwell Davies.[5]

Selected recordings
  • Thomas' vocals appeared on the 1976 ELO track, "Rockaria!", which was released as a single in 1977 and reached the Top Ten in the UK Singles Chart.[6][7]
  • Revelation and Fall (reissued on CD in 2004)[8]

References
  1. ten Kate, Lynn (1997). "Obituary: Mary Thomas". The Independent. London. Retrieved 23 December 2017.
  2. Richard Dyer, Globe Staff. "Vivid score, vibrant singing make for compelling `Medium'." The Boston Globe (Boston, MA). 1991. Archived 2017-12-24 at the Wayback Machine
  3. "Archived copy". Archived from the original on 28 April 2016. Retrieved 18 December 2017.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
  4. Missa super l'homme armé. Boosey & Hawkes
  5. "Performances of Mary Thomas at BBC Proms". Bbc.co.uk. Retrieved 16 December 2017.
  6. "Rockaria! - Electric Light Orchestra | Song Info | AllMusic". AllMusic. Retrieved 4 February 2021.
  7. "rockaria | full Official Chart History | Official Charts Company". Officialcharts.com. Retrieved 4 February 2021.
  8. Clements, Andrew (2004). "Maxwell Davies: Revelation and Fall (record review)". The Guardian.
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