Patricia Harewood

Patricia Harewood, Countess of Harewood, lives in Yorkshire and last wrote for ABR in April 2001 – reflections of an Australian expat. She grew up in Sydney and played the violin in the Sydney Symphony Orchestra. Her husband, Lord Harewood, worked for the Royal Opera House before serving as managing director of the English National Opera (1972–85). He too has written illuminatingly about Sutherland, especially in his memoirs, The Tongs and the Bones (1981).

Diary | April 2001 – Patricia Harewood

April 2001, no. 229 • 01 April 2001

It’s funny about Australia and me. For the first thirty years of my life, I longed to get out of it, and now I can never wait to come back! I have lived in England for forty-two years. I have a marvellous marriage, an English son, three English stepsons, fourteen English grandchildren, and a host of devoted English friends. I love England, the countryside and the changing seasons, from the film ... (read more)

'Memories of Joan Sutherland' by Patricia Harewood

July–August 2011, no. 333 • 29 June 2011

My husband is proud to claim that in the 1950s, when they were both employed at Covent Garden, he was paid a larger salary than Joan Sutherland was. Fresh from Sydney, she had joined the company in 1952, and was soon appearing in small roles, including Clotilde, opposite Maria Callas’s Norma. This was followed by several years of steady progress and major roles (Agathe, Antonia, Micaela), but no ... (read more)