English bass-baritone whose distinctive voice and acting skills defined the Britten era passes away at 82.

John Shirley-Quirk, the English bass-baritone whose honeyed tones adorned so many of Benjamin Britten’s finest recordings, has passed away in his home town of Bath aged 82.

Shirley-Quirk was born in Liverpool, England, and learned to sing  in his school choir. Choosing to study chemistry and physics at Liverpool University, he also decided to take singing lessons with Austen Carnegie. Initially taking up a teaching appointment at Acton Technical College, he kept up his singing at a pro-am level until the late 1950s when he began to take things more seriously.

Ultimately making the decision to turn professional, he made his operatic debut in Pelléas et Mélisande at the Glyndebourne Festival in 1961. Famously spotted by Benjamin Britten singing in a choral concert in Ipswich, he was invited to join the English Opera Group in 1964 and sang with them right through until 1976, the year that Britten died.

His performances of the bass roles in Britten’s operas, church pieces and choral works led to a number of key recordings and premieres. Possessed of a rich, warm, instantly recognisable bass voice, Britten composed many works...