Walter Midgley

Who was Walter Midgley?

Walter Midgley was an English operatic tenor who sang leading roles at the Royal Opera House and elsewhere from the 1930s to the 1950s.

Midgley was born in Bramley, near Rotherham. After leaving school, he worked as a clerk in a steelworks in Sheffield while learning to play musical instruments and sing in choirs during his spare time. In order to earn enough to pay for singing lessons, he formed a dance-band and eventually enrolled in the Sheffield School of Music. He auditioned for the Carl Rosa Opera Company and was engaged as a chorister, subsequently playing small parts and eventually making his debut as a principal in the role of Rodolfo in La bohème. Before World War II, he also sang with the Sadler's Wells company. He also sang with Geraldo on BBC Radio.

After the war he became Principal Tenor at the Royal Opera House, Covent Garden, making his debut as Calaf in Turandot. He sang major tenor roles from 1951 to 1953 but left after a difference with the management and never returned.

In 1948 during Rigoletto at Covent Garden, while he was singing 'Questa o quella', Walter swallowed his moustache.