Written by Benjamin Tomkins
October 27, 2025
From the moment soprano Pippa Dames-Longworth stepped into The Red House at the age of 22 to sing for the legendary English tenor, Peter Pears, she was destined for a life of playing roles. The former partner of Benjamin Britten guided her professional vocal training from Trinity College to Guildhall, and shepherded her ascent onto the loftiest operatic stages of Europe and the UK.
The momentum she built carried her through decades of performances with major opera houses, symphony orchestras, and in recital with preeminent musicians such as Simon Rattle, Georg Solti, and the Brodsky Quartet. As a founding member of duo Operaplayhouse, her work has been the subject of a BBC documentary in addition to numerous appearances on radio, TV, and film. From one day to the next, Pippa may be found engaged as a masterclass clinician, directing Dido and Aeneas, or acting as specialist advisor to her alma mater, Trinity College.
And yet, despite a multifaceted career spanning continents and decades, her work with aspiring artists today is a reminder that every singer’s journey continues to be a search for their own voice. Personal tragedy took its toll on her career, but she continued to explore new repertoire, mentor the next generation of professional singers, and in June of 2026, she will be joining the vocal faculty of Orvieto Musica.
We sat down with Pippa to discuss her extraordinarily varied career, finding one’s way as a singer, and embracing authenticity as an artist.
Tell us how your career began.
I was very fortunate at a young age—I was 22—to sing for the great Peter Pears. He took me under his wing and we enjoyed a close friendship that lasted to the day he died. He would often ring me out of the blue and say, “Now, my dear, how about jumping on a train and coming up to Aldeburgh and to The Red House?”
So I would go and spend the day with him in The Red House, which is, of course, where Britten and Pears lived and where Britten wrote The War Requiem and his opera, A Midsummer Night’s Dream. It is extraordinary to visit it now as it is a museum and has been left exactly as it was when I first walked in in my early 20s!
Peter introduced me to many people and opportunities, and also to the great songs of Schubert, as well as Purcell and Britten, which he would sing to me. His passion for words—be it Goethe or Montagu Slater—excited me, and we would talk at length about the emotions and circumstances behind the songs. It was a thrilling time for a young soprano!
How did your voice progress to bigger roles?
Early on, I was asked to sing a lot of Baroque music, which I think is a wonderful grounding for young singers. When my voice began to grow, it was clear that the later repertoire would suit me, and I have enjoyed singing a wide range of music ever since.
Eventually, I found myself singing performances of Brünnhilde’s Immolation Scene (Wagner’s Ring). I was lucky to be able to take part in private classes and professional vocal training with singers such as Thomas Hampson, Renata Scotto, and Birgit Nilsson, which was marvellous and timely.
One of the joys of my career has been to be able to be versatile, and I would encourage any singer to develop their musicianship to the highest level, as it will give them confidence and also allow them to take on things that might otherwise have seemed impossible. I have thoroughly enjoyed the contemporary music that I’ve sung, which has included scores by composers such as Michael Torke and Harrison Birtwistle.
When did your voice shift to a mezzo-soprano?
Not long into my professional career, my brother was killed in a car crash. It was very sudden, and I cried a lot, of course. My voice just threw in the towel for about a year and a half. At the time, I didn’t think I’d be able to sing again.
When it finally returned, I discovered that the colour and timbre of my voice had changed and that mezzo roles suited me well.
It is useful when I teach to have sung such a wide range of repertoire as a soprano and as a mezzo, and never more so than when I was asked to teach the advanced opera singers at the Akademie in Prague by the great Jirí Bélohlãvek and to give masterclasses in Moscow.
How does it influence your professional vocal training work with young singers today?
I particularly enjoy working with singers who are discovering their true voice and aligning their repertoire with their unique strengths.
Why do so many young singers struggle to find themselves?
As singers, we have our own individual and unique voices of course, and in the final analysis, we must trust our natural and authentic response to the music. Technique is what allows us to communicate with sincerity and artistry.
What are the biggest challenges singers face as they develop?
As we don’t hear ourselves as our audience does, singers learn to sing by sensation. As a young singer, this can be hard as it takes time to develop your technique and to trust it.
An important part of being a skilled teacher is to guide, support, and encourage your students, as confidence is very precious and can be easily lost.
We’re excited to have you at Orvieto this year! How important is it for a singer to go to Italy?
Italy is the home of Monteverdi, Vivaldi, Verdi, Puccini, Bellini, Berio—and of course, of Caravaggio, Michelangelo, and Leonardo da Vinci—and a very high proportion of the greatest artists of all time! And you are surrounded by 2,000 years of history!
It is also an exquisitely beautiful country, full of colour, elegance, and passion. I believe that experiencing Italian life can only enrich our responses to the music that we are lucky enough to have the chance to interpret.
As a singer, we must surely want to explore every aspect of what it is to be human, and there is nowhere better than Italy to fill you with the wonder, awe, and excitement of being alive.
To discover more about Pippa’s extraordinary career and professional vocal training work, read her full bio at www.orvietomusica.org, and visit her website for news and performance updates.