Patricia Leonard
Encyclopedia
Patricia Leonard was an English
opera singer, best known for her performances in mezzo-soprano
and contralto
roles of the Savoy Operas with the D'Oyly Carte Opera Company
.
After working as a secretary, Leonard turned to singing in concerts and on the radio. She began to sing opera, first with Sadler's Wells Opera, and joined the D'Oyly Carte in 1972. There she moved up from chorister to small-role player, understudying larger roles, taking on the major mezzo-soprano role of Mad Margaret in Ruddigore
in 1975. In 1977, she took over as the company's principal contralto, playing ten of these leading roles with the company until its closure in 1982. She married Michael Buchan (né Michael Fox), who joined D'Oyly Carte with her and performed frequently with her in later years.
In later years, she continued to perform in Gilbert and Sullivan
operas with various opera companies and with the group Gilbert and Sullivan for All
. She also returned to singing in concerts, including oratorios, opera pieces and other classical works, including in a series of The Proms
evenings with the National Concert Orchestra, as well as operetta
, musical theatre
and music hall
. She appeared on BBC
broadcasts and in plays, films and commercials until about 2008 and gave singing lessons.
and brought up in Stourbridge
, Worcester
, England. She studied the piano and took voice lessons from the bass-baritone
John Dethick in Sheffield
. While working as a secretary, she began to perform with an amateur operatic society, where she met bass-baritone
Michael Fox (who later used the stage name Michael Buchan), whom she would later marry. Becoming more serious about performing, she began to study voice with concert singer John Dethick in Sheffield
and at the Birmingham School of Music. Among other awards, she won the Rose Bowl at the Blackpool Music Festival at the age of twenty.
Leonard began her career a soloist in oratorio and a recitalist for BBC Radio. She also performed with the Midland Music Makers Grand Opera Society, in such roles as Conchakovna in Prince Igor
. She then sang with Sadler's Wells Opera for two years as a chorister and in concerts and oratorios after which she and her husband joined D'Oyly Carte in 1972.
. In 1973 she was given the roles of Leila in Iolanthe
, Peep-Bo in The Mikado
, Vittoria in The Gondoliers
, Cousin Hebe in H.M.S. Pinafore
, Edith and Lady Saphir in Patience
. She also performed as the understudy for Mrs. Partlett in The Sorcerer and Tessa in The Gondoliers. In 1975 she added Elsa in The Grand Duke
to her repertory when the D'Oyly Carte revived that work in concert during its Centenary season, and Mad Margaret in Ruddigore
. The Times
called her portrayal of Margaret "variously poignant or histrionic ... yet infused with a sensual quality". She also began to understudy the title role in Iolanthe and Phoebe Meryll in The Yeomen of the Guard
.
In 1977, Leonard played the role of Hebe in the Royal Command Performance
of Pinafore at Windsor Castle
to celebrate Queen Elizabeth's Silver Jubilee
(her husband played the Carpenter's Mate). That year, she was promoted to principal contralto of the D'Oyly Carte Opera Company, and from 1977 until the company closed in 1982, she played the roles of Lady Sangazure in The Sorcerer, Little Buttercup in Pinafore, Ruth in The Pirates of Penzance, Lady Jane in Patience, the Fairy Queen in Iolanthe, Lady Blanche in Princess Ida
, Katisha in The Mikado, Dame Hannah in Ruddigore, Dame Carruthers in Yeomen, and the Duchess of Plaza-Toro in The Gondoliers.
The Times wrote that, in the contralto roles, Leonard eschewed "the more bizarre traits of these intimidating females in favour of a more balanced personification. As the domineering harridan Katisha [in The Mikado,] she convincingly demonstrated that the grotesque mask hid a fragile suffering woman. ... Her Queen of the Fairies [in Iolanthe,] outwardly so full of composure, betrayed in tantalising moments the character's repressed sensuality." Long-time musical director David Steadman wrote of her portrayals, "we felt the despair of Ruth losing Frederic's attentions in Pirates, we could easily believe that her Buttercup adored Captain Corcoran in the moonlit stillness of Act Two of H.M.S. Pinafore, that Katisha was a woman with feelings ... and that the Fairy Queen was a monarch with a matronly love for her girls."
operas, including as the Duchess in The Gondoliers, Katisha in The Mikado with New Sadler's Wells Opera, with Phoenix Opera at Gawsworth Hall
for seven seasons in the principal contralto roles, and Katisha, Buttercup and Ruth in Norway. She also sang with Gilbert and Sullivan for All
.
Leonard returned to singing in concerts and oratorios, at venues such as Royal Albert Hall, Royal Festival Hall
, the Barbican Arts Centre, Symphony Hall, Birmingham
, and St. David's Hall in Cardiff
, Wales
. Her concert performances included Gilbert and Sullivan, Ivor Novello
, Five Sing Broadway, "Mr. Gilbert and Mr. Sullivan" (with Richard Baker), "Here's Yet Another How De Do" with David Steadman, and a series of The Proms
evenings with the National Concert Orchestra. She also sang in concerts of opera, operetta and music hall
on world cruises for Cunard
.
Leonard appeared frequently with the Carl Rosa Opera Company
and with "Much Loved Productions" in concerts of Gilbert and Sullivan and Rodgers and Hammerstein
. She appeared on BBC
broadcasts and in plays, films and commercials until about 2008 and gave singing lessons. Leonard and her husband toured in Britain, America, Australia and New Zealand, including in the 2005-2006 Carl Rosa tour of North America. They also participated in several productions and events at the International Gilbert and Sullivan Festival
. Reviewing her performance as Katisha in 2005 for The British Theatre Guide, Peter Lathan wrote, "She was great: hard (indeed scary) exterior but with a softness underneath which was quite appealing." Leonard enjoyed interpreting Stephen Sondheim
's songs, making "Losing My Mind
" a specialty.
, Shropshire
. They also owned various hostelries for a time. Leonard and Buchan enjoyed playing golf.
Leonard died of throat cancer in 2010, aged 73, at the Severn Hospice, Bicton Heath, Shrewsbury
. Her ashes rest at the Emstrey Crematorium in Shrewsbury
.
, and in the concert video "Gilbert & Sullivan's Greatest Hits" (1982), made at the Royal Albert Hall
.
English people
The English are a nation and ethnic group native to England, who speak English. The English identity is of early mediaeval origin, when they were known in Old English as the Anglecynn. England is now a country of the United Kingdom, and the majority of English people in England are British Citizens...
opera singer, best known for her performances in mezzo-soprano
Mezzo-soprano
A mezzo-soprano is a type of classical female singing voice whose range lies between the soprano and the contralto singing voices, usually extending from the A below middle C to the A two octaves above...
and contralto
Contralto
Contralto is the deepest female classical singing voice, with the lowest tessitura, falling between tenor and mezzo-soprano. It typically ranges between the F below middle C to the second G above middle C , although at the extremes some voices can reach the E below middle C or the second B above...
roles of the Savoy Operas with the D'Oyly Carte Opera Company
D'Oyly Carte Opera Company
The D'Oyly Carte Opera Company was a professional light opera company that staged Gilbert and Sullivan's Savoy operas. The company performed nearly year-round in the UK and sometimes toured in Europe, North America and elsewhere, from the 1870s until it closed in 1982. It was revived in 1988 and...
.
After working as a secretary, Leonard turned to singing in concerts and on the radio. She began to sing opera, first with Sadler's Wells Opera, and joined the D'Oyly Carte in 1972. There she moved up from chorister to small-role player, understudying larger roles, taking on the major mezzo-soprano role of Mad Margaret in Ruddigore
Ruddigore
Ruddigore; or, The Witch's Curse, originally called Ruddygore, is a comic opera in two acts, with music by Arthur Sullivan and libretto by W. S. Gilbert. It is one of the Savoy Operas and the tenth of fourteen comic operas written together by Gilbert and Sullivan...
in 1975. In 1977, she took over as the company's principal contralto, playing ten of these leading roles with the company until its closure in 1982. She married Michael Buchan (né Michael Fox), who joined D'Oyly Carte with her and performed frequently with her in later years.
In later years, she continued to perform in Gilbert and Sullivan
Gilbert and Sullivan
Gilbert and Sullivan refers to the Victorian-era theatrical partnership of the librettist W. S. Gilbert and the composer Arthur Sullivan . The two men collaborated on fourteen comic operas between 1871 and 1896, of which H.M.S...
operas with various opera companies and with the group Gilbert and Sullivan for All
Gilbert and Sullivan for All
Gilbert and Sullivan for All was a touring concert and opera company, formed in 1963 by D'Oyly Carte Opera Company performers Thomas Round and Donald Adams and Norman Meadmore, and which exclusively performed the works of Gilbert and Sullivan, usually in concert, but sometimes giving full...
. She also returned to singing in concerts, including oratorios, opera pieces and other classical works, including in a series of The Proms
The Proms
The Proms, more formally known as The BBC Proms, or The Henry Wood Promenade Concerts presented by the BBC, is an eight-week summer season of daily orchestral classical music concerts and other events held annually, predominantly in the Royal Albert Hall in London...
evenings with the National Concert Orchestra, as well as operetta
Operetta
Operetta is a genre of light opera, light in terms both of music and subject matter. It is also closely related, in English-language works, to forms of musical theatre.-Origins:...
, musical theatre
Musical theatre
Musical theatre is a form of theatre combining songs, spoken dialogue, acting, and dance. The emotional content of the piece – humor, pathos, love, anger – as well as the story itself, is communicated through the words, music, movement and technical aspects of the entertainment as an...
and music hall
Music hall
Music Hall is a type of British theatrical entertainment which was popular between 1850 and 1960. The term can refer to:# A particular form of variety entertainment involving a mixture of popular song, comedy and speciality acts...
. She appeared on BBC
BBC
The British Broadcasting Corporation is a British public service broadcaster. Its headquarters is at Broadcasting House in the City of Westminster, London. It is the largest broadcaster in the world, with about 23,000 staff...
broadcasts and in plays, films and commercials until about 2008 and gave singing lessons.
Life and career
Patricia Leonard was born in Stoke-on-TrentStoke-on-Trent
Stoke-on-Trent , also called The Potteries is a city in Staffordshire, England, which forms a linear conurbation almost 12 miles long, with an area of . Together with the Borough of Newcastle-under-Lyme Stoke forms The Potteries Urban Area...
and brought up in Stourbridge
Stourbridge
Stourbridge is a town within the Metropolitan Borough of Dudley, in the West Midlands of England. Historically part of Worcestershire, Stourbridge was a centre of glass making, and today includes the suburbs of Amblecote, Lye, Norton, Oldswinford, Pedmore, Wollaston, Wollescote and Wordsley The...
, Worcester
Worcester
The City of Worcester, commonly known as Worcester, , is a city and county town of Worcestershire in the West Midlands of England. Worcester is situated some southwest of Birmingham and north of Gloucester, and has an approximate population of 94,000 people. The River Severn runs through the...
, England. She studied the piano and took voice lessons from the bass-baritone
Bass-baritone
A bass-baritone is a high-lying bass or low-lying "classical" baritone voice type which shares certain qualities with the true baritone voice. The term arose in the late 19th century to describe the particular type of voice required to sing three Wagnerian roles: the Dutchman in Der fliegende...
John Dethick in Sheffield
Sheffield
Sheffield is a city and metropolitan borough of South Yorkshire, England. Its name derives from the River Sheaf, which runs through the city. Historically a part of the West Riding of Yorkshire, and with some of its southern suburbs annexed from Derbyshire, the city has grown from its largely...
. While working as a secretary, she began to perform with an amateur operatic society, where she met bass-baritone
Bass-baritone
A bass-baritone is a high-lying bass or low-lying "classical" baritone voice type which shares certain qualities with the true baritone voice. The term arose in the late 19th century to describe the particular type of voice required to sing three Wagnerian roles: the Dutchman in Der fliegende...
Michael Fox (who later used the stage name Michael Buchan), whom she would later marry. Becoming more serious about performing, she began to study voice with concert singer John Dethick in Sheffield
Sheffield
Sheffield is a city and metropolitan borough of South Yorkshire, England. Its name derives from the River Sheaf, which runs through the city. Historically a part of the West Riding of Yorkshire, and with some of its southern suburbs annexed from Derbyshire, the city has grown from its largely...
and at the Birmingham School of Music. Among other awards, she won the Rose Bowl at the Blackpool Music Festival at the age of twenty.
Leonard began her career a soloist in oratorio and a recitalist for BBC Radio. She also performed with the Midland Music Makers Grand Opera Society, in such roles as Conchakovna in Prince Igor
Prince Igor
Prince Igor is an opera in four acts with a prologue. It was composed by Alexander Borodin. The composer adapted the libretto from the East Slavic epic The Lay of Igor's Host, which recounts the campaign of Russian prince Igor Svyatoslavich against the invading Polovtsian tribes in 1185...
. She then sang with Sadler's Wells Opera for two years as a chorister and in concerts and oratorios after which she and her husband joined D'Oyly Carte in 1972.
D'Oyly Carte years
She soon was chosen as a regular standby for the role of Edith in The Pirates of PenzanceThe Pirates of Penzance
The Pirates of Penzance; or, The Slave of Duty is a comic opera in two acts, with music by Arthur Sullivan and libretto by W. S. Gilbert. The opera's official premiere was at the Fifth Avenue Theatre in New York City on 31 December 1879, where the show was well received by both audiences...
. In 1973 she was given the roles of Leila in Iolanthe
Iolanthe
Iolanthe; or, The Peer and the Peri is a comic opera with music by Arthur Sullivan and libretto by W. S. Gilbert. It is one of the Savoy operas and is the seventh collaboration of the fourteen between Gilbert and Sullivan....
, Peep-Bo in The Mikado
The Mikado
The Mikado; or, The Town of Titipu is a comic opera in two acts, with music by Arthur Sullivan and libretto by W. S. Gilbert, their ninth of fourteen operatic collaborations...
, Vittoria in The Gondoliers
The Gondoliers
The Gondoliers; or, The King of Barataria is a Savoy Opera, with music by Arthur Sullivan and libretto by W. S. Gilbert. It premiered at the Savoy Theatre on 7 December 1889 and ran for a very successful 554 performances , closing on 30 June 1891...
, Cousin Hebe in H.M.S. Pinafore
H.M.S. Pinafore
H.M.S. Pinafore; or, The Lass That Loved a Sailor is a comic opera in two acts, with music by Arthur Sullivan and a libretto by W. S. Gilbert. It opened at the Opera Comique in London, England, on 25 May 1878 and ran for 571 performances, which was the second-longest run of any musical...
, Edith and Lady Saphir in Patience
Patience (opera)
Patience; or, Bunthorne's Bride, is a comic opera in two acts with music by Arthur Sullivan and libretto by W. S. Gilbert. First performed at the Opera Comique, London, on 23 April 1881, it moved to the 1,292-seat Savoy Theatre on 10 October 1881, where it was the first theatrical production in the...
. She also performed as the understudy for Mrs. Partlett in The Sorcerer and Tessa in The Gondoliers. In 1975 she added Elsa in The Grand Duke
The Grand Duke
The Grand Duke; or, The Statutory Duel, is the final Savoy Opera written by librettist W. S. Gilbert and composer Arthur Sullivan, their fourteenth and last opera together. It premiered at the Savoy Theatre on March 7, 1896, and ran for 123 performances...
to her repertory when the D'Oyly Carte revived that work in concert during its Centenary season, and Mad Margaret in Ruddigore
Ruddigore
Ruddigore; or, The Witch's Curse, originally called Ruddygore, is a comic opera in two acts, with music by Arthur Sullivan and libretto by W. S. Gilbert. It is one of the Savoy Operas and the tenth of fourteen comic operas written together by Gilbert and Sullivan...
. The Times
The Times
The Times is a British daily national newspaper, first published in London in 1785 under the title The Daily Universal Register . The Times and its sister paper The Sunday Times are published by Times Newspapers Limited, a subsidiary since 1981 of News International...
called her portrayal of Margaret "variously poignant or histrionic ... yet infused with a sensual quality". She also began to understudy the title role in Iolanthe and Phoebe Meryll in The Yeomen of the Guard
The Yeomen of the Guard
The Yeomen of the Guard; or, The Merryman and His Maid, is a Savoy Opera, with music by Arthur Sullivan and libretto by W. S. Gilbert. It premiered at the Savoy Theatre on 3 October 1888, and ran for 423 performances...
.
Royal Command Performance
For the annual Royal Variety Performance performed in Britain for the benefit of the Entertainment Artistes' Benevolent Fund, see Royal Variety Performance...
of Pinafore at Windsor Castle
Windsor Castle
Windsor Castle is a medieval castle and royal residence in Windsor in the English county of Berkshire, notable for its long association with the British royal family and its architecture. The original castle was built after the Norman invasion by William the Conqueror. Since the time of Henry I it...
to celebrate Queen Elizabeth's Silver Jubilee
Silver Jubilee
A Silver Jubilee is a celebration held to mark a 25th anniversary. The anniversary celebrations can be of a wedding anniversary, ruling anniversary or anything that has completed a 25 year mark...
(her husband played the Carpenter's Mate). That year, she was promoted to principal contralto of the D'Oyly Carte Opera Company, and from 1977 until the company closed in 1982, she played the roles of Lady Sangazure in The Sorcerer, Little Buttercup in Pinafore, Ruth in The Pirates of Penzance, Lady Jane in Patience, the Fairy Queen in Iolanthe, Lady Blanche in Princess Ida
Princess Ida
Princess Ida; or, Castle Adamant is a comic opera with music by Arthur Sullivan and libretto by W. S. Gilbert. It was their eighth operatic collaboration of fourteen. Princess Ida opened at the Savoy Theatre on January 5, 1884, for a run of 246 performances...
, Katisha in The Mikado, Dame Hannah in Ruddigore, Dame Carruthers in Yeomen, and the Duchess of Plaza-Toro in The Gondoliers.
The Times wrote that, in the contralto roles, Leonard eschewed "the more bizarre traits of these intimidating females in favour of a more balanced personification. As the domineering harridan Katisha [in The Mikado,] she convincingly demonstrated that the grotesque mask hid a fragile suffering woman. ... Her Queen of the Fairies [in Iolanthe,] outwardly so full of composure, betrayed in tantalising moments the character's repressed sensuality." Long-time musical director David Steadman wrote of her portrayals, "we felt the despair of Ruth losing Frederic's attentions in Pirates, we could easily believe that her Buttercup adored Captain Corcoran in the moonlit stillness of Act Two of H.M.S. Pinafore, that Katisha was a woman with feelings ... and that the Fairy Queen was a monarch with a matronly love for her girls."
Later years
After the closure of D'Oyly Carte, Leonard continued to perform in Gilbert and SullivanGilbert and Sullivan
Gilbert and Sullivan refers to the Victorian-era theatrical partnership of the librettist W. S. Gilbert and the composer Arthur Sullivan . The two men collaborated on fourteen comic operas between 1871 and 1896, of which H.M.S...
operas, including as the Duchess in The Gondoliers, Katisha in The Mikado with New Sadler's Wells Opera, with Phoenix Opera at Gawsworth Hall
Gawsworth Hall
Gawsworth Old Hall is a Grade I listed country house in the village of Gawsworth, Cheshire, England. It is a timber-framed house in the Cheshire black-and-white style. The present house was built between 1480 and 1600, replacing an earlier Norman house...
for seven seasons in the principal contralto roles, and Katisha, Buttercup and Ruth in Norway. She also sang with Gilbert and Sullivan for All
Gilbert and Sullivan for All
Gilbert and Sullivan for All was a touring concert and opera company, formed in 1963 by D'Oyly Carte Opera Company performers Thomas Round and Donald Adams and Norman Meadmore, and which exclusively performed the works of Gilbert and Sullivan, usually in concert, but sometimes giving full...
.
Royal Festival Hall
The Royal Festival Hall is a 2,900-seat concert, dance and talks venue within Southbank Centre in London. It is situated on the South Bank of the River Thames, not far from Hungerford Bridge. It is a Grade I listed building - the first post-war building to become so protected...
, the Barbican Arts Centre, Symphony Hall, Birmingham
Symphony Hall, Birmingham
Symphony Hall is a 2,262 seat concert venue located inside the International Convention Centre in Birmingham, England. It was officially opened by the Queen in June 1991, although had been opened on April 15, 1991. It is home to the City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra and hosts around 270 events...
, and St. David's Hall in Cardiff
Cardiff
Cardiff is the capital, largest city and most populous county of Wales and the 10th largest city in the United Kingdom. The city is Wales' chief commercial centre, the base for most national cultural and sporting institutions, the Welsh national media, and the seat of the National Assembly for...
, Wales
Wales
Wales is a country that is part of the United Kingdom and the island of Great Britain, bordered by England to its east and the Atlantic Ocean and Irish Sea to its west. It has a population of three million, and a total area of 20,779 km²...
. Her concert performances included Gilbert and Sullivan, Ivor Novello
Ivor Novello
David Ivor Davies , better known as Ivor Novello, was a Welsh composer, singer and actor who became one of the most popular British entertainers of the first half of the 20th century. Born into a musical family, his first successes were as a songwriter...
, Five Sing Broadway, "Mr. Gilbert and Mr. Sullivan" (with Richard Baker), "Here's Yet Another How De Do" with David Steadman, and a series of The Proms
The Proms
The Proms, more formally known as The BBC Proms, or The Henry Wood Promenade Concerts presented by the BBC, is an eight-week summer season of daily orchestral classical music concerts and other events held annually, predominantly in the Royal Albert Hall in London...
evenings with the National Concert Orchestra. She also sang in concerts of opera, operetta and music hall
Music hall
Music Hall is a type of British theatrical entertainment which was popular between 1850 and 1960. The term can refer to:# A particular form of variety entertainment involving a mixture of popular song, comedy and speciality acts...
on world cruises for Cunard
Cunard Line
Cunard Line is a British-American owned shipping company based at Carnival House in Southampton, England and operated by Carnival UK. It has been a leading operator of passenger ships on the North Atlantic for over a century...
.
Leonard appeared frequently with the Carl Rosa Opera Company
Carl Rosa Opera Company
The Carl Rosa Opera Company was founded in 1873 by Carl August Nicholas Rosa, a German-born musical impresario, to present opera in English in London and the British provinces. The company survived Rosa's death in 1889, and continued to present opera in English on tour until 1960, when it was...
and with "Much Loved Productions" in concerts of Gilbert and Sullivan and Rodgers and Hammerstein
Rodgers and Hammerstein
Richard Rodgers and Oscar Hammerstein II were a well-known American songwriting duo, usually referred to as Rodgers and Hammerstein. They created a string of popular Broadway musicals in the 1940s and 1950s during what is considered the golden age of the medium...
. She appeared on BBC
BBC
The British Broadcasting Corporation is a British public service broadcaster. Its headquarters is at Broadcasting House in the City of Westminster, London. It is the largest broadcaster in the world, with about 23,000 staff...
broadcasts and in plays, films and commercials until about 2008 and gave singing lessons. Leonard and her husband toured in Britain, America, Australia and New Zealand, including in the 2005-2006 Carl Rosa tour of North America. They also participated in several productions and events at the International Gilbert and Sullivan Festival
International Gilbert and Sullivan Festival
The International Gilbert and Sullivan Festival is held every summer at the Opera House in Buxton, Derbyshire, England. The three-week Festival of Gilbert and Sullivan performances and fringe events attracts thousands of visitors, including performers, supporters, and G&S enthusiasts from all...
. Reviewing her performance as Katisha in 2005 for The British Theatre Guide, Peter Lathan wrote, "She was great: hard (indeed scary) exterior but with a softness underneath which was quite appealing." Leonard enjoyed interpreting Stephen Sondheim
Stephen Sondheim
Stephen Joshua Sondheim is an American composer and lyricist for stage and film. He is the winner of an Academy Award, multiple Tony Awards including the Special Tony Award for Lifetime Achievement in the Theatre, multiple Grammy Awards, a Pulitzer Prize and the Laurence Olivier Award...
's songs, making "Losing My Mind
Losing My Mind
"Losing My Mind" is a song written by Stephen Sondheim for the 1971 musical Follies for the character of a former showgirl Sally Durant Plummer.-Follies:...
" a specialty.
Personal life and death
She was a Vice President of the Gilbert and Sullivan Society. Leonard and her husband had a son Andrew, and she had a stepdaughter Katie and one granddaughter, Shannon. They lived, in later years, in CluntonClunton
Clunton is a village in Shropshire, England, to the east of the small town of Clun.- Location :It lies on the B4368 road between Clun and Craven Arms. The nearest railway station is Hoptonheath. The village is at 162m above sea level....
, Shropshire
Shropshire
Shropshire is a county in the West Midlands region of England. For Eurostat purposes, the county is a NUTS 3 region and is one of four counties or unitary districts that comprise the "Shropshire and Staffordshire" NUTS 2 region. It borders Wales to the west...
. They also owned various hostelries for a time. Leonard and Buchan enjoyed playing golf.
Leonard died of throat cancer in 2010, aged 73, at the Severn Hospice, Bicton Heath, Shrewsbury
Shrewsbury
Shrewsbury is the county town of Shropshire, in the West Midlands region of England. Lying on the River Severn, it is a civil parish home to some 70,000 inhabitants, and is the primary settlement and headquarters of Shropshire Council...
. Her ashes rest at the Emstrey Crematorium in Shrewsbury
Shrewsbury
Shrewsbury is the county town of Shropshire, in the West Midlands region of England. Lying on the River Severn, it is a civil parish home to some 70,000 inhabitants, and is the primary settlement and headquarters of Shropshire Council...
.
Recordings
Her recordings with D'Oyly Carte included Leila in Iolanthe (1973), Elsa in The Grand Duke (1976), and Dame Carruthers in Yeomen (1979), and she is a soloist on the company's "Last Night" recording (1982). She appeared in the D'Oyly Carte film of H.M.S. Pinafore (1973), made at Elstree StudiosElstree Studios
"Elstree Studios" refers to any of several film studios that were based in the towns of Borehamwood and Elstree in Hertfordshire, England, since film production begun in 1927.-Name:...
, and in the concert video "Gilbert & Sullivan's Greatest Hits" (1982), made at the Royal Albert Hall
Royal Albert Hall
The Royal Albert Hall is a concert hall situated on the northern edge of the South Kensington area, in the City of Westminster, London, England, best known for holding the annual summer Proms concerts since 1941....
.