Baker, Dame Janet (1933-…), is a British singer whose voice possesses rare beauty and control. She is a mezzo-soprano but has used her unusually wide vocal range to perform works usually sung by sopranos or contraltos. Baker has divided her career between stage and concert appearances. She gained special praise for her interpretations of operas by the German composer George Frideric Handel and the English composer Henry Purcell as well as the songs of the Bohemian-born Austrian composer Gustav Mahler.
Janet Abbott Baker was born on Aug. 21, 1933, in Hatfield, South Yorkshire, England. She made her debut in 1956 with the Oxford University Opera Club. She was made a Dame Commander of the Order of the British Empire in 1976. She retired from opera in 1982.
