• Entry type: Person
  • Entry ID: IMP0034

Hammond, Joan Hood

  • Dame, DBE, CMG, CBE, OBE
(1912 – 1996)
  • Born 24 May, 1912, Christchurch New Zealand
  • Died 26 November, 1996
  • Occupation Golfer, Singer, Teacher

Summary

Joan Hammond was appointed DBE 1974, CMG 1972, CBE 1963, OBE 1953. She received the Sir Charles Santley award from the Worshipful Company of Musicians, London 1970, ‘Musician of the Year’. In 1988 she was awarded the Lifetime Achievement Award from the Green Room Awards Association as well as the Lifetime Achievement Award for Excellence in Recording for the Australasian Sound Recording Association, in 1994.

Details

The daughter of Samuel and Hilda (née Blandford) Hammond, Joan Hammond who was educated at Presbyterian Ladies’ College, Pymble New South Wales, established an early interest in sports. An expert swimmer during her teens Hammond, transferred to the sport of golf. She won the women’s state golf championship for New South Wales in 1932, 1934, 1935 and the junior championship in 1929.

Hammond also played violin for three years with the Sydney Philharmonic Orchestra before studying singing in Vienna in 1936. She returned to Australia for concert tours in 1946, 1949 and 1953, and completed world concert tours between 1946 and 1961. After retiring in 1965, Hammond became artistic director of the Victoria Opera Company (1971-1976) and was then head of vocal studies and vocal consultant at the Victorian College of the Arts from 1975 to 1992. Her autobiography A voice, a life was published in 1970.

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Archival resources

  • National Library of Australia, Manuscript Collection
    • Papers of Alexander Gore Gowrie, 1835-1987 [manuscript]
    • Papers of Dame Joan Hammond, 1928-1994 (bulk 1983-1993) [manuscript]
    • Papers of Kenneth Russell Henderson, 1976-1978 [manuscript]
    • Letters of Dame Joan Hammond [manuscript] Geelong, to H. S. Young, Sydney, 1967, Nov 18, 27, and Dec 11
  • National Library of Australia, Oral History and Folklore Collection
    • Interview with Joan Hammond, Australian opera singer [sound recording] : historical recordings of important happenings recorded by 2GB News
  • National Library of Australia
    • [Biographical cuttings on Joan Hammond, containing one or more cuttings from newspapers or journals]

Published resources

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