Hammond, Dame Joan (1912-1996), a New Zealand-born soprano, became famous as an opera singer and concert artist. She was known for her strong, vibrant voice that was equally effective in opera and concert choral works. Hammond had a long career, making her opera debut in 1929 in Sydney, Australia, and performing until her retirement in 1965. She made 571 opera appearances, more than half divided between the roles of Cio-cio-san in Madama Butterfly and the title role in Tosca.
Joan Hood Hammond was born on May 24, 1912, in Christchurch. She studied singing and the violin in Sydney, and she played violin in the Sydney Philharmonic Orchestra for three years. She studied singing in London and Vienna and made her London debut in a recital in 1938. During World War II (1939-1945), she served as an ambulance driver. She was made a Dame Commander of the Order of the British Empire in 1974. She died on Nov. 26, 1996.
