I READ with sadness about the death of opera singer Patricia Kern (Herald Obituaries, October 23). As your obituarist, Conrad Wilson, states, she was one of the most notable of mezzo-sopranos, especially in the UK during the 1960s and '70s.
My very first "proper" opera was The Barber of Seville presented by Sadlers Wells Opera in the long-demolished Glasgow Empire Theatre in April 1961; Patricia Kern played the role of Rosina, and she immediately captivated my young heart - as she did the hearts of the audience. She was a sublime singer and performer.
She actually became well-known in Glasgow and Scotland long before her performances with Scottish Opera, as she appeared as Jill-All-Alone (Merrie England 1960), Rosina (The Barber of Seville, 1961 & 1966), Cinderella (La Cenerentola, 1967), Eurydice (Orpheus and Eurydice 1967, with Alexander Young as Orpheus), Prince Orlofsky (Die Fledermaus, 1968), and Isabella (The Italian Girl in Algiers, 1968).
She was a true artiste in every sense of the word.
Walter Paul,
69 Coplaw Street, Glasgow.
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