Death of a Covent Garden singing coach, 82
NewsWe have been notified of the death of Bettina Jonic, close friend of Bertold Brecht and former Director of Actor/Singer Development at the Royal Opera House Covent Garden.
She also has her own acting studio, The Little Garden, where students included Francesca Annis, Stephen Berkoff, Bob Hoskins, Annie Irving, Jane Lapotaire, Ann Mitchell, Hazel O’Connor, Elaine Page, Michael Pennington, Steven Rea, Penny Ryder, Martin Shaw, Juliet
Stevenson, Harriet Walter, Zoe Wannamaker.
Born in Los Angeles to Croatian parents, Bettina married the British publisher John Calder and was a force in the London avant-garde.
A very sad loss indeed, Bettina leaves a huge legacy. RIP.
Berthold Brecht died in 1956 in East Berlin, when she was about 16 if she has just died at 82. Could she really have been his close friend?
she was probably fibbing about her age – and was possibly 10 years older than mentioned. She was a friend of my Mum’s. Many years ago now,
Did your mom work for 007 as well?
She was friends with Samuel Beckett and I believe the letters he wrote her are some of his most personal and revealing, they are on record in the Irish archives in Dublin.