About Joan Cross
Joan Annie Cross (7 September 1900 – 12 December 1993) was an English soprano, closely associated with the operas of Benjamin Britten, who wrote five roles with her in mind. She also sang in the Italian and German operatic repertoires, and later became a musical administrator, taking on the direction of the Sadler's Wells Opera Company and acting as principal of the Opera Studio in London (later called the London Opera Centre). Her repertoire was unusually wide, ranging from lyric to dramatic soprano roles, from Mozart to Wagner. Most of her singing career was with Sadler's Wells Opera, the forerunner of the English National Opera but she appeared at the Royal Opera House from time to time.
