Clara Dow

Clara Millington Dow (29 December 1883 – 26 March 1969) was an English operatic soprano and actress of the early twentieth century. After a concert career, she appeared at the Savoy Theatre in the first repertory seasons of Gilbert and Sullivan operas mounted by the D'Oyly Carte Opera Company in 1906–09, under the direction of the author. She is remembered as one of the last principal sopranos personally trained by W. S. Gilbert at the Savoy. In between engagements with D'Oyly Carte, Dow performed in concerts and operetta. After her retirement from the professional stage, she directed amateur productions of the Savoy Operas until she was in her seventies.

Dow was born in King's Lynn, Norfolk. She made her stage debut at the age of 16 in Hunstanton, and went on to study at the Royal College of Music, where she made her London stage debut in 1900 as the Dewman in a student production of the opera Hansel and Gretel, conducted by Charles Villiers Stanford and directed by Richard Temple. Dow became a professional oratorio and concert singer, appearing, for example, in a promenade concert at the Crystal Palace in 1905. She joined the chorus of the D'Oyly Carte Opera Company for its first London repertory season in December 1906. Dow was soon promoted to small roles, playing Giulia in The Gondoliers and Kate in The Yeomen of the Guard in January 1907, also understudying and occasionally appearing in some of the leading roles.

In April 1907, she was promoted to the title role in Patience, and by June 1907 she was also playing the leading soprano parts of Phyllis in Iolanthe and Elsie in Yeomen. Dow also played Gianetta in The Gondoliers in the latter part of the 1907 season. Dow later remembered that, while still a chorister, she had an opportunity to sing part of the role of Elsie for W. S. Gilbert at a rehearsal of The Yeomen of the Guard. The singer chosen by Helen Carte came from a grand opera background. "She had a beautiful voice, but poor diction, and Gilbert mumbled, 'I did not sit up all night for my words to be distorted by this d....d Italian method', with the result, the lady, at last reduced to tears, ran off the stage. I was immediately called out to continue her solo, and Gilbert said 'It's like coming out of a fog'."

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