Joseph Ward

Joseph Ward OBE (22 May 1932 in Preston – 27 April 2019) was an English tenor, formerly a baritone, who created roles in operas by Benjamin Britten and Michael Tippett. He has also made a career as a singing teacher – his pupils include Jane Eaglen – and opera producer. In the 1950s, he toured with the Carl Rosa Opera, appearing in several operas including the company's final production staged in Nottingham in 1956. As a baritone he created the role of Starveling in Britten's A Midsummer Night’s Dream (1960), and in the same year sang the same composer's eponymous hero Billy Budd in the radio-broadcast premiere of the revised two-act version. He became principal baritone at The Royal Opera House, Covent Garden, making his debut there in 1962. He also created the role of Patroclus in Tippett's opera King Priam. He recorded as a baritone the role of Sid in Britten's Albert Herring, conducted by the composer. He subsequently transferred to the tenor repertoire and became Covent Garden's resident principal tenor. A friend of Joan Sutherland's, he was a principal tenor with the Sutherland-Williamson Grand Opera Company in a 1965 tour of Australia. In 1966, he appeared in the sole recording of Bernard Herrmann's only opera, Wuthering Heights, conducted by the composer.