Gladys Ripley
Born: 9th July 1908, London, England
Died: 21st December 1955, Chichester, England
Nationality: English
English contralto Gladys Ripley was born in Essex in 1908 and was essentially a self-taught singer, whose career was launched in 1925 when she sang Elijah under Albert Coates at the Royal Albert Hall; oratorio (particular the role of the Angel in Elgar’s Dream of Gerontius) would play a significant role throughout her career, though she sang regularly at the Royal Opera House, where appearances included Schwertleite in Die Walküre under Wilhelm Furtwängler, with Kirsten Flagstad as Brünnhilde.