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Story: Classical musicians

Patricia Payne

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Patricia Payne plays Ulrica in a production of Verdi's Un ballo in maschera, staged by the San Francisco Opera in 1977. Payne was renowned for her outstanding mezzo-soprano voice. In this 1973 radio interview, she discusses her early focus on oratorio before she started to sing opera.

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by Ron Scherl

Sound file from Ngā Taonga Sound and Vision. Any re-use of this audio is a breach of copyright. Reference: 23363

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How to cite this page

Peter Walls, Classical musicians – Singers of the 1970s and 1980s, Te Ara – the Encyclopedia of New Zealand, https://teara.govt.nz/en/speech/45412/patricia-payne (accessed 4 June 2026).

Story by Peter Walls, published 3 June 2014.