Jeffrey Skitch
Jeffrey Ralph Skitch (16 September 1927 – 7 March 2013) was an actor, operatic baritone and teacher best known for his performances and recordings with the D'Oyly Carte Opera Company from 1952 to 1965.
Born in Australia, Skitch moved with his mother to England when he was two years old. He served in the RAF during World War II and began acting by 1949. After his career with D'Oyly Carte, he turned to teaching, and from 1981 to 1995 he was the Principal of Elmhurst Ballet School.
Early life and career
Skitch was born in
Skitch first performed professionally in London in 1949, in She Stoops to Conquer, as an extra at the Arts Theatre. That autumn, he served at the Arts Theatre as an assistant stage manager and actor in the play The Romantic Young Lady. He appeared in Idomeneo with the Glyndebourne Festival Opera in 1951.[1]
He joined the
Skitch recorded several roles with D'Oyly Carte on the Decca label, including Doctor Daly in The Sorcerer (1953), Florian in Princess Ida (1955, 1965), Captain Corcoran in H.M.S. Pinafore (1960) and Luiz in The Gondoliers (1961).[3] He also participated in several radio broadcasts with the company during his tenure.[6] In 1975, during the company's centennial season, Skitch was invited to participate in the final performance of Trial by Jury, in which the regular D'Oyly Carte chorus was augmented by fourteen former stars of the company.[7]
Family, teaching career and later years
While touring with the D'Oyly Carte Opera Company in Los Angeles, Skitch met an American singer, Stella Maria Hawley, and the two married in the
During his years with D'Oyly Carte, Skitch studied law.
Skitch died in Southampton at age 85.[10]
References
- ^ a b c d e f "Jeffrey Skitch Toured with the D'Oyly Carte Opera Company", Lymington Times, 22 March 2013, p. 12
- ^ a b Skitch, Jeffrey. Biography of Jeffrey Skitch, Shep's Place Family Tree, 11 March 2013
- ^ a b c d Stone, David. Jeffrey Skitch on Who's Who in the D'Oyly Carte Opera Company, 27 August 2001, accessed 31 March 2010
- ^ Bourne, R. F. Jeffrey Skitch, Memories of the D'Oyly Carte Opera Company, accessed 10 March 2013
- ^ a b c Joseph, Tony. "Obituaries: Jeffrey Skitch", The Gilbert and Sullivan News, Vol. V, No.2, Summer 2013, p. 16
- ^ Webster, Chris. "Original D'Oyly Carte Broadcasts". A Gilbert and Sullivan Discography, 16 July 2005, accessed 31 March 2010
- ^ The Savoyard, Vol. 14, No. 2, September 1975
- ^ Rice, Jennifer "History of Elmhurst Ballet School". Elmhurst Ballet School, Camberley website, accessed 31 March 2010
- ^ "Mr Jeffrey Ralph Skitch", Duedil, accessed 10 March 2013
- ^ "Jeffrey Skitch 1927–2013", The Telegraph, 11 March 2013