This Is Your Life: Eva Turner 2

Dame Eva TURNER (1892-1990)

THIS IS YOUR LIFE - Dame Eva Turner, opera singer and teacher, was surprised by Eamonn Andrews - with the help of various opera stars and several students from the Royal College of Music - at London's Royal Opera House, having been led to believe she is there to be interviewed by broadcaster Richard Baker ahead of her 91st birthday.

Eva developed an international reputation with her strong, steady and well-trained voice which was renowned for its clarion power in Italian and German operatic roles. She performed leading roles such as Micaela in Carmen and the title roles in Aida, Tosca, Thais and Turandot at many of the world's great opera houses.

Eva retired from the stage in 1948 and took up the post of visiting Professor of Voice at the University of Oklahoma, where she stayed for nine years. She returned to London in 1959 where she was appointed Professor of Singing at the Royal Academy of Music, a position she held until aged well into her 80s.

Eva Turner was a subject of This Is Your Life on two occasions – previously surprised by Eamonn Andrews in September 1959 at the BBC Television Theatre.

"Oh bless you, how wonderful!"

programme details...

Edition No: 616
Subject No: second timer
Broadcast date: Wed 9 Feb 1983
Broadcast time: 7.00-7.30pm
Recorded: Tue 8 Feb 1983
Venue: Royalty Theatre
Series: 23
Edition: 17
Code name: Diva

on the guest list...

Richard Baker
Linda Esther Gray
Elizabeth Vaughan
Pauline Tinsley
Anna Cooper
Charles Craig
Patricia Routledge
students of the Royal College of Music
Graham Newell
Alicia Markova
Kiri Te Kanawa - via satellite
Placido Domingo - via satellite
Maude Thomson
Heath Griffiths
Dr Evadne Hinge
Dame Hilda Bracket
letter from HRH Queen Elizabeth, the Queen Mother
Bernard Miles
Josephine Miles
Dr Dale Fleet
Genevieve Fleet
Geraint Evans
staff and children of Werneth Council School, Oldham
Licia Albanese
Tito Gobbi
Joan Sutherland

production team...

Researcher: Charmaine Carter
Writers: Tom Brennand, Roy Bottomley
Directors: Paul Stewart Laing, Terry Yarwood
Producer: Malcolm Morris

names above in bold indicate subjects of This Is Your Life

related pages...

Eva Turner

first tribute

Classical Life

a symphony of subjects

Life Second Time Around

surprised again!

This Is Your Life

The Daily Mail profiles the programme's history

Alicia Markova

Kiri Te Kanawa

Screenshots of Eva Turner This Is Your Life

Linda Esther Gray recalls this edition of This Is Your Life in her book, A Life on the High Cs...

At the end of her 90th birthday year Eamonn Andrews presented her with another red This Is Your Life book and she was seen on television throughout Britain smiling and laughing her way through the retelling of her great life.

It was a joyous happy programme with satellite relays of Placido Domingo and Dame Kiri Te Kanawa paying tribute to her from America, Dame Joan Sutherland from Australia and Tito Gobbi from Italy.

Alicia Markova, Sir Geraint Evans, Sir Bernard Miles and Lady Josephine Miles, and her old school friend Maude Thomson joined her for the occasion in person and spoke most generously of their happy relationship with Dame Eva.

Also included on stage were some of her past students Pauline Tinsley, Elizabeth Vaughan, Patricia Routledge, Anna Cooper and myself among others, and Charles Craig and Dame Gwyneth Jones. [Bigredbook.info editor: Gwyneth Jones is not name checked so we are unable to confirm her participation in the programme] Dame Eva also enjoyed the entertainment which Hinge and Bracket provided for the occasion...

Series 23 subjects