Kathleen Ferrier - Early Singing Career

Early Singing Career

In 1937 Ferrier entered the Carlisle Festival open piano competition and, as a result of a small bet with her husband, also signed up for the singing contest. She easily won the piano trophy; in the singing finals she sang Roger Quilter's "To Daisies", a performance which earned her the festival's top vocal award. To mark her double triumph in piano and voice, Ferrier was awarded a special rose bowl as champion of the festival.

After her Carlisle victories, Ferrier began to receive offers of singing engagements. Her first appearance as a professional vocalist, in autumn 1937, was at a Harvest Festival celebration in the village church at Aspatria. She was paid one guinea. After winning the Gold Cup at the 1938 Workington Festival, Ferrier sang "Curly Headed Babby" in a concert at Workington Opera House. Cecil McGivern, producer of a BBC Northern radio variety show, was in the audience and was sufficiently impressed to book her for the next edition of his programme, which was broadcast from Newcastle on 23 February 1939. This broadcast—her first as a vocalist—attracted wide attention, and led to more radio work, though for Ferrier the event was overshadowed by the death of her mother at the beginning of February. At the 1939 Carlisle Festival, Ferrier sang Richard Strauss's song "All Soul's Day", a performance which particularly impressed one of the adjudicators, J.E. Hutchinson, a music teacher with a considerable reputation. Ferrier became his pupil, and under his guidance began to extend her repertoire to include works by Bach, Handel, Brahms and Elgar.

When Albert Wilson joined the Army in 1940, Ferrier reverted to her maiden name, having until then sung as 'Kathleen Wilson'. In December 1940 she appeared for the first time professionally as 'Kathleen Ferrier' in a performance of Handel's Messiah, under Hutchinson's direction. In early 1941 she successfully auditioned as a singer with the Council for the Encouragement of the Arts (CEMA), which provided concerts and other entertainments to military camps, factories and other workplaces. Within this organisation Ferrier began working with artists with international reputations; in December 1941 she sang with the Hallé Orchestra in a performance of Messiah together with Isobel Baillie, the distinguished soprano. However, her application to the BBC's Head of Music in Manchester for an audition was turned down. Ferrier had better fortune when she was introduced to Malcolm Sargent after a Hallé concert in Blackpool. Sargent agreed to hear her sing, and afterwards recommended her to Ibbs and Tillett, the London-based concert management agency. John Tillett accepted her as a client without hesitation after which, on Sargent's advice, Ferrier decided to base herself in London. On 24 December 1942 she moved with her sister Winifred into an apartment in Frognal Mansions, Hampstead.