Joan Hammond

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Dame Joan Hilda Hood Hammond, DBE, CMG (24 May 1912 – 26 November 1996) was an Australian operatic soprano, singing coach, and champion golfer.

Early life

Joan Hilda Hood Hammond was born and baptized in Christchurch, New Zealand. Samuel Hood, her father, was born in England. Edith Blandford, his first wife, married Edith, then divorced her and married Hilda Blandford, who had two sons in England. He informally added the word "Hammond" to his name, and the two characters informally introduced themselves as "Mr and Mrs Samuel Hammond" although they weren't married at the time.

Hammond was born in May 1912, not long after the family members had arrived in New Zealand. She was six months old when her family relocated to Sydney, Australia. Her parents married in Sydney on May 25th, the day after her 15th wedding anniversary, although there are no records that Samuel's first wife died or that they had ever divorced.

Hammond attended Pymble Ladies' College, excelling in both sports and music. She studied violin and singing at the New South Wales State Conservatorium of Music in Sydney, and then performed with the Sydney Philharmonic Orchestra for three years before retiring in Vienna in 1936.

Later life

Hammond had to leave the stage after suffering a heart attack in 1965. Lady Gowrie, her "guardian angel" whose funeral took place on July 30, 1965, at St George's Chapel, Windsor Castle. Hammond was also noted for being the first woman to be granted royal permission to sing in that chapel. In 1970, she was interviewed for the BBC radio show Desert Island Discs.

Hammond has returned to Australia. She became a patron and a life member of the Melbourne-based Victorian Opera Company (VSO), which was established in 1962 by Leonard Spira. She served on the board from 1971 to 1985 as the VSO's artistic director from 1971 to 1976, and then remained on the board until 1985. Richard Divall, the company's young conductor, was recruited by Peter Burch, then general manager, to serve as the company's musical director in 1972. She was a member of the Australian Council for the Arts advisory committee and an honorary life member of Opera Australia. She was instrumental in the success of both the VSO and Opera Australia.

After her teaching career came to an end, Hammond embarked on a second career as a voice instructor. She was elected head of vocal studies at the Victorian College of the Arts in 1975, a position she held until 1989. During that time, she developed an amazing number of Australian singers who have had long careers in Australia and on the international stage. Sopranos Helen Adams and Cheryl Barker, baritone Peter Coleman-Wright, and tenor Steve Davislim are among her notable pupils.

The Ash Wednesday bushfires destroyed her Aireys Inlet's In 1983, and she lost all of her possessions, including the memorabilia of a lifetime.

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