British singers mourn a great teacher

British singers mourn a great teacher

RIP

norman lebrecht

August 14, 2023

We have been informed of the death of Jessica Cash. a sought-after soprano teacher whose star pupils included Emma Kirkby and Lesley Garrett.

Jessica died at home in Derbyshire on August 4 at the age of 84.

In her own singing career, she was Queen of the Night with Glyndebourne from 1968 to 1971.

A Dartington student writes: ‘I took the initiative and arranged a private singing lesson with Jessica Cash, a vocal coach and mentor who I have met several times now. I was initially introduced to her teachings by Emma Kirkby at the summer school a few years ago. Jessica has some alternative approaches to getting the best out of a singer and every time I have watched her work and had the experience of singing for her, little parts of my brain and ultimate comprehension began jumping up and down wanting to do and know so much more. ‘

Comments

  • Jp says:

    Is there a memorial or someone to contact to show respects?

  • Marc says:

    Star pupils included Emma Kirkby and Lesley Garrett? Hmmm…

    • Juan says:

      Two very different singers but they both possessed a solid technique. Emma Kirkby was truly one of the greatest British sopranos.

      • Marc says:

        If one loves the sound of a whistle.

      • Miv Tucker says:

        Did you mean Emma Kirkby IS truly one of the great…?
        I believe she is still with us.

      • Maria says:

        She was only an early music singer who recorded well, not a consumate artist as Heather Harper, Janet Baker, or the likes.

        • Warren stutely says:

          Emma Kirkby significantly pioneered the soprano voice in early music along with several others in deller consort, of course Harper and baker were great but in more “mainstream” roles.

    • Donna Giovanna says:

      Oh please show some dignity and self respect.
      Posting something like this just cheapens life and humanity.

      Are you normally that kind of mean spirited person or have you had a bad day?

      Whatever the case you really should go away and reflect on where you are as a person and your role in society.

    • Doug says:

      Not a fan of Emma Kirkby and have avoided her recordings….always.

  • AH says:

    Jessie was my singing teacher for a while, she was a kind and generous person with a wicked sense of humour. She had very unconventional methods which could yield amazing results in some people and she was very interested in what unlocking a voice could do for people in a wholistic way. She actually had many successful pupils and certainly made a big difference to many people’s lives not only as a singing teacher but as person whose biggest interest to see the people she cared about- including her students- happy. She will be greatly missed.

  • Maria says:

    I thought Lesley Garratt studied wlth Joy Mamon, according to her book???

  • MWnyc says:

    Didn’t Paul Agnew study with Jessica Cash as well?

  • Gillian Wormley says:

    I thought I recognised the photograph and that the Dartington student’s words had an eery echo. I wrote about that session with Jessie in 2016 – took that photo of the studio in Aller Park while I waited for her. I worked with her again a few years later. It was a delight. She had such a knack of getting results out of a person. Funny, firm but kind. I count it a blessing that I got the opportunity to work with her. Serendipity played its part.

  • christina Story says:

    Dear M. Lebrecht

    Thank you for your article.

    Unfortunately, a few journalists have taken the date of publication of your article as Jessica Cash’s date of death (see wikipedia and operawire). Jessica Cash passed away on 4th August 2023.

    Perhaps it would be best to add the correct date of death in the body of your text to avoid future misunderstandings.

  • Margaret says:

    Please could we show respect for the family by not engaging in opinion about artists.

  • Rosemary Hardy says:

    Rather shocked to see all these unpleasant comments about the two singers, who, out of a large number of us, also had the joy and privilege to study with Jessie. Jessie was a warm and loving teacher who used both conventional and unconventional methods to build up her students. She was interested in the whole person. As for me, I was one of her first students, with neurotic problems with the top of my voice. She built me up literally from the bottom up, by bringing the voice deep into the body and bringing freedom through the breath. Singing is weird because we’re all tense somewhere or other and she was able to help you release that with a lot of laughter and a different way of approaching the language of singing teaching. Thank you Jessie! I’m still at it thanks to that technique you gave me.

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